Adventures In Parenting
by CPDRuzekFan
Summary: This is my way of working through the frustration that the show has caused with the recent turn of events for the Burzek baby. It's some of what I had planned for 'Surprise of a Lifetime' and some new stuff. This will eventually be a collection of one shots, but that won't start until after the 3rd chapter. The first 3 chapters will have a traditional story feel to it.
1. Chapter 1

_**Just a quick note, after processing the episode for a bit I've decided to take Surprise Of a Lifetime down a different path. I feel a bit cheated and that we were all played by Eid, he kept going on about exploring how being a single mom on the job would impact Kim. I had thought from the start that this storyline would end in disaster but with Eid's comments I started to buy in a little, though the idea of a miscarriage was still front and center in my mind. **_

_**I'm really frustrated by it and I've come up with this idea in hopes of working through it just a bit.**_

_**I think there is a lot of story to tell for Kim, Adam, and their living baby. Some really solid meaty stuff, granted none of it is as angsty and emotional as the miscarriage but there is still a shit ton of potential.**_

_**The writers went the cliche route and even a bit lazy on their part, so I've come up with this idea.**_

_**I'm going to write one shots of things that could go on between Burzek and their baby, some of it lighthearted and fun, some with a bit of angst related to the baby, and some just typical relationship drama. The fact that their relationship was/is so undefined at the moment and the issues and awkwardness that would bring.**_

_**There's a ton of story to be told, if only the writers were willing to tell it.**_

_**They won't, so I will give it a go. **_

_**I don't know how many 'chapters' there will be, it all kind of depends on how it comes together. They won't really be connected of follow a linear timeline, I have a general idea of what I want to do but it all depends. **_

_**Only the first 3 'chapters' will be chronological order.**_

**Moving In**

Adam groaned as the shrill alarm jolted him from sleep, he ignored it for as long as he could before finally reaching across his bed and slapping at the clock to silence it accidentally sending it crashing to the floor.

Today was a big day and he had a ton of shit to do before Kevin and Jay showed up, he had picked up the moving truck last night and spent a majority of the night packing his shit up and sorting through what he would keep me what would be dropped off at goodwill.

Kim had made an off the cuff remark about his beloved beer stein collection and how they didn't need to make the move, he wanted to show her that he had changed, that he wasn't the same guy he had been during their engagement. He decided to whittle down his collection to just a few of them, it was something he had started when he was a teenager wherever he went he'd always snag a beer stein. He got a kick out of sneaking it out without his pops or anyone at the pub noticing, he had amassed quite the collection and while they all had some level of significance to him there were only a handful that really meant something to him. He had about six that he had collected in the last few years that he well and truly loved, not because of the beer stein itself, but where he was and who he was with when he grabbed them.

There was the one he snagged when his dad took him out for drinks when he turned 21, it was his first legal beer and his pops had made a big deal about it, completely ignoring the fact that his pops had allowed him to drink since he was about seventeen. He had one from when he and Al went out for drinks after Al had kicked him back down to patrol for a shift.

It was then that Adam started fighting his feelings for Kim, and it was fight he would never win.

He had one from the night they he and Kim celebrated their engagement, that one was his absolute favorite.

Needless to say those mugs would be going with him, the others would end up on a shelf at goodwill.

Everything was packed up and ready to go, all that was really left to do was load up his furniture and get that moved out and then they'd start with the boxes. His muscles ached at just the thought of it, he was in nowhere near the physical shape that Kevin and Jay were in, he wasn't out of shape per se but he definitely lacked the muscle mass his buddies had. They were quick to remind him on the daily that he was a bit pudgy, he reminded them that he was more than capable of getting the job done and that he could out run their muscled physiques all day every day and twice on Sundays.

His kitchen was barren, not that it was every really full but it was particularly bad. He never cooked anything more than a frozen dinner or a microwave meal most of the time it was takeout. He kind of regretted getting rid of all the food as he was starving, he double checked the fridge and found nothing but a couple of beers and few slices of cheese. His pantry was even worse, just an old box of stale sugary cereal.

He contemplated running to the bodega down the road but decided to push through it, he wanted this move over and down with. He had this irrational fear that Kim would revoke the invitation and his heart couldn't bare the thought of it, this wasn't what he had envisioned when he finally moved in with Kim, but he'd take what he could get. He would've moved in the day she suggested it but he still had a few months remaining on his lease and the penalty to get out of it was insane and more money that he wanted to spend. So he had to wait, and it was hard as hell to do so, but the wait was worth it and finally over.

He was excited at the notion of living with Kim and his baby, he didn't like the idea of only seeing his baby on weekends, he didn't want to be a part time dad, he wanted to be all in with his kid. He feared some crazy custody arrangement and one where he spent precious little time with his kid, so the minute Kim broached the subject and suggested he move in he jumped at it.

Adam had grown up in the middle of a heated and ugly divorce and ensuing custody battle and he vowed he wouldn't put his kid through that, he would do his best to make sure this arrangement with Kim worked.

It wasn't just his heart on the line, it was his kid's heart and Kim's and he wouldn't break either of their hearts.

He knew not everyone thought this arrangement would work, and he expected that from some people, but he had wished his father would've been a bit more supportive. In fact it pissed him off a bit, and even now just thinking about it got him heated.

Adam grabbed the very last bottle of water from the counter and chugged it, he tossed the empty bottle in the recycling container and got to work on the next task.

Kim was up at sunrise, she was very much a morning person and was eager to do what she needed to do on her end to make Adam and the guys job easier. She was a little bummed to have to empty out the spare room closet of her clothes, she had a ridiculously tiny closet in her bedroom and she had no idea how she was going to get all her clothes from the spare room closet in hers. It was kind of silly as the clothes in what would now be Adam's closet were clothes she hadn't worn in years but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of them. Half of it wouldn't fit but she still hung on to it, she had vowed to go through it and if it didn't _spark joy_ she'd chuck it, but that could wait.

She needed to focus on clearing a path from the front door through the living room and down the hall to Adam's bedroom. She had already given the bedroom set she had in the room back to her mother, it had been Kim's set when she was a teenager and when she first moved out her mom had given it to her until she had gotten on her feet. She ended up replacing it shortly after moving out and moved it to her guest room. It was a very feminine set and Adam balked at using it, his bedroom set was fairly new and he said he'd bring it. Kim's mother wasn't thrilled with the new living arrangement and demanded the set back, it annoyed Kim but she did her best to brush it off.

Kim and Adam's arrangement was very non-traditional and had more than a couple of doubters but Kim focused on what was best for her baby and that was having both its parents under the same roof.

She knew Adam's childhood history and her's wasn't much better and may even have bit a worse, granted she wasn't growing up in the midst of a bitter divorce. Her father had walked out on her when she was merely an infant and Nicole a toddler. She hadn't seen neither hide nor hair of him since she was about 13 when he had a brief return to Chicago only to leave town a few weeks later. He was the very definition of a deadbeat father and Kim wanted nothing to do with him and had no idea where he was or if he was even alive.

It was one of the reasons why this pregnancy had terrified her at the start, that coupled with how it would affect her career. Thankfully the period of fear had been short and now at nearly seven months pregnant she was enjoying the majority of her pregnancy. She was getting more and more uncomfortable as the days went on but for the most part things were good.

They had chosen to not learn the gender of their baby, choosing to be surprised. Kim knew that Adam was desperate to know but she also knew that Adam wouldn't be able to contain himself once he learned the gender and their plan to keep it to themselves would be blown to bits.

They had already picked out names and while it had taken a bit for them to come to an agreement on their choices, they had both wanted to honor Al and the role he played in both of their careers and more importantly their lives.

It wasn't an easy task but they finally found names they agreed upon or to more precise compromised on.

For a girl it was a toss up between _Allison_ or _Alice_, they agreed to wait until the baby was born and if it was indeed a girl, they'd select the name that suited her. Her middle name would be _Grace_ after Kim's beloved grandmother.

The name for a boy was a bit trickier to, they both knew Al would roll over in his grave if they called their son Alvin, that name was promptly scratched off the list. They had gone through a handful of names that had started with 'Al'. Adam really liked the name _Alexander_ but Kim had an ex named Alex and just the mere mention of the name made her skin crawl, so she put the kibosh on that name. Kim suggested '_Alan_' but Adam hated it, he said it all but assured their son would be a nerd and that he'd be the picked on relentlessly once he went to school. They then thought about picking a name that started with the letter A but it didn't fare any better.

_Austin_

_Asher_

_Axel_

_Anthony_

_Atticus_

_Addison_

None of them worked and it seemed the more they tried the more horrific the choices. They ended up switching gears a bit and decided to check out the names that started with O. While Kim absolutely adored the name _Oliver_, Adam hated it, and said it was worse then naming their kid '_Alan_'.

They decided to ignore the topic of names for a bit and see if something came to them and within a week Kim had found what she deemed to be the perfect name. Adam hadn't been quite so sure and he suggested that they give their kid a middle name that he could use in case he wasn't thrilled with his first name.

It was a bit of a trendy name and while Adam was hesitant at first he had taken to referring to the baby by Kim's choice of a name and it soon started to fit and Adam slowly fell in love with it.

Kim had come up with the perfect middle name and when she suggested it to Adam she loved his reaction.

They had finally picked a name for a son and it was perfect, if they had a boy he would be named _Oscar Adam._

Adam had seamlessly transitioned Oscar to O, it was perfect. More often than not Al was referred to as O, so this was the perfect way to honor their mentor and more importantly their friend.

All they had to do now was wait for their baby to arrive, which was agonizingly slow.

Kim knew Adam moving in meant they were just a bit closer to that glorious moment so needless to say she was excited moving day had finally arrived. She knew Adam wasn't bringing much, he had the bedroom set, a television, his gaming system, and clothes. He had wouldn't be bringing his living room furniture, or his kitchen table and chairs, she hoped some of his other things wouldn't make the cut as well. He had a shit ton of beer steins that she had already teased him about, and some odd as hell artwork.

Once the guys arrived they made quick work of loading up the furniture and dropping it off a goodwill, while Jay and Kevin did that Adam moved all the boxes to the living room. He packed up what he could in the back of his truck. He then went about cleaning up the apartment for the final walk through with the rental company.

He was dead tired and ready to crash in bed, but first he had to make do on his promise to feed Kevin and Jay. They had a couple of pizzas delivered and scarfed them down pretty quick, Jay took off to meet up with his brother and Kevin hung around a bit longer.

"So, I gotta say I'm proud of your bro." Kevin tipped his bottle of beer in Adam's direction, "I know you'd never cut and run on your kid, but you're really stepping up. Much respect."

Adam shrugged his shoulders, "It's my kid, man. I can't cut and run." He already loved the shit out of the baby, "I'm just doing the right thing. That's all."

Kevin waved him off, "You don't get it cause your Pops was there. Day in and day out you had him. Not everyone has that. So, yeah I'm proud of you." He knew the effects an absentee father had on a kid, Jordan was living proof of that, "this living arrangement it's...different," he chuckled a bit, "...but I like it."

Adam laughed, "Me too," he glanced down the hallway to make sure Kim was still in her bedroom before saying anything else, "It's gonna kill me though, knowing she's sleeping just across the hall." He felt safe talking to Kevin about he felt, Kevin knew exactly what Adam felt for Kim, "I'll take what I can get though. Being here with my baby when it goes to bed at night and when it wakes in the morning. That's..." he felt himself get choked up a bit, "...what I want. I want to be with my kid."

"With your baby mama too." Kevin added, "I think this will be good for you guys, you did this all ass backwards and shit but as long as you and Kim are together. Together, together" he reiterated it, "that's all the matters. It doesn't matter how it happens as long as it happens."

"Amen brother." Adam clinked his bottle against Kevin's, "That's all I want. All I ever wanted." He set his beer on the table and reached out his hand to Kevin, "Thanks for all your help today. I couldn't have done it without you and Halstead. It's much appreciated."

Kevin shook his hand, "Of course man. Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't say this. I'm just gonna say it once and be done with it, alright?" He watched as Adam nodded his head, "Don't fuck this up. Don't hurt her. Don't let her walk out of your life again. I kept my mouth shut when she called off the engagement and I'm still kicking myself for doing so. I should've said something. Made you both fight for each other but I didn't and I'll regret it forever. I won't let it happen again and neither should you."

"I won't."Adam replied, "You've got my word, Kev. I was miserable without her, I did some seriously stupid shit..."

"You said it." Kevin quickly interjected.

"I know. That's done. I'm a changed man. I'm different now, I will not fuck this up. I will never let Kim walk out of my life again. I will do whatever it takes to prove how I feel towards her."

"Good. That's what I like to hear." Kevin set his empty bottle of beer on the table, "Just so you know, I'm going to have a similar conversation with Kim. She fucked up too, it wasnt all you...it was mostly you.." Kevin smirked, "I'm just messing bro."

"I know. I know where your loyalties really lie." Adam hugged him quickly before they walked to the door.

"The patrol struggle was real, man. That's a bond that can never be broken. Tell Burgess I love her and that I'm sorry I didn't wait to tell her goodbye but the ladies are calling." Kevin grinned.

"I will." Adam laughed, "Have fun. Don't follow my lead and knock one of 'em up."

"Ah fuck no." Kevin laughed.

Kim was bummed to see Kevin had already left but she was desperate for a soak in the tub, she hadn't done much in the way of physical work but even the little bit she had done left her feeling achy and exhausted.

"Kev gone?" Kim asked Adam as she sat on the sofa, she watched as Adam flipped through the channels barely stopping long enough on each channel to see what was on.

Adam quickly glanced at her, "He said the ladies were calling, he told me tell you bye and that he was sorry he couldn't wait for you."

Kim shrugged, "Its fine. I'm ready to relax. Today was long, eh?"

Adam laughed, "The fuck it was. I'm shot. It's done though. Have you checked out my room yet?" He had allowed her to think he moved in all of his shit and couldn't wait for her to see that he had only brought a few of his beer steins and nothing else. He did send some of his shit to his father's place for storage. Some things he didn't feel the need to bring but he couldn't bring himself to chuck it or give it to goodwill.

"I haven't. I'm a bit scared." Kim admitted.

He tossed the remote control on the table, "Don't be scared, I only brought the good shit." Adam stood up and offered his hand to her, "Come on I'll give you the grand tour."

"Oh, exciting." Kim replied with mock enthusiasm but happily took his hand and allowed him to pull her towards his bedroom.

He opened the door and ushered her inside, "Welcome to my humble abode." He fanned his arms out, "Halstead hung the TV so you know it's safe, there was no way I was going to attempt that."

Kim was shocked to find the walls barren and just a half dozen beer steins on his dresser, "It looks good in here. Where's the rest of it? Your artwork? The rest of your steins?"

"I've downsized." Adam explained.

"You got rid of them?" Kim was shocked, "You loved them."

"The ones there." He pointed to them, "I love those one, the rest had no meaning. It was time." He rocked on his heels a bit, shoving his hands in his pockets "I really appreciate you letting me move in with you. I can't tell you how happy I am to be here with you and our baby."

Kim smiled at him, "I think I have an idea. I'm happy too."

_**Keep an eye out for the next part, the first 3 parts will have more of a traditional story feel to them, after that it will be random one shots, all dealing with the Burzek baby and how Adam and Kim's handle parenthood.**_

_**I feel as if we were played by the writers, and I'm hoping this group of stories will help me work through the ridiculous level of frustration that I'm currently feeling. I don't think I've ever been this invested in television characters, it really sucks that the writers went down the path they did. **_

_**Seriously sucks.**_


	2. Disco Bob

They had lived together for a week now, and despite a few hiccups it was a pretty easy transition for them both. Adam was still a slob and Kim was still an obsessive compulsive neat freak and she was doing her best to not jump all over Adam for the tiniest of messes.

They agreed he'd keep his bedroom door shut so she wouldn't have to look at the disaster that was his bedroom. The floor was littered with his dirty clothes, his unopened mail, and the occasional empty water bottle. He rarely made his bed which was a fact that disturbed Kim to no end and she was almost certain that it was something only serial killers did.

Adam was doing his best to be neater in their communal areas, which was trying when it came to the kitchen, he was the worst when it came to dirty dishes. He'd just toss it in the sink and only deal with it when they ran out of clean dishes.

It was definitely a learning process and they were both doing their best to make it work, Kim realized she went overboard with the cleaning and Adam knew he needed to help out more and not sit around and wait for Kim to do it. If the sink was full of dirty dishes he either needed to wash them or load them in the dishwasher. Kim resisted the urge to wash any dirty dishes the second they hit the sink, it wouldn't hurt anyone to leave a coffee mug or a dirty bowl in the sink for a little while.

They were both at opposite ends of the spectrum and they were working on meeting in the middle and it was going well.

Kim was now focused on getting her mother and Adam's father together, they would be sharing a grandchild, Kim wanted them to know each other before the baby was born. She knew it wasn't going to be an easy feat, she knew her mother had doubts as did Adam's father. She wanted to prove them both wrong, show them that she and Adam could do this.

She was putting a fair bit of pressure on Adam to get his father to come over for dinner and Adam wasn't responding in the way she wanted.

"Adam?" Kim knocked on his bedroom door, it was slightly ajar but knocked anyway. She peeked around the door and saw him stretched out on the bed laying on his stomach. Her eyes were drawn to his ass. She always liked how he looked in jeans and the pair he had one fit him well, she felt all the blood rush to her cheeks, she cleared her throat and called his name again, "Adam?" It was then she noticed he was wearing earbuds, she went in and shook his shoulder lightly.

Adam rolled over, he ripped his earbuds out, "What's wrong? Is it the baby, are you okay?" He was clearly a bit panicked.

"No. I'm fine. I was just wondering if you talked to your dad. If you asked him about dinner." Kim was desperate for Bob's approval, Adam didn't seem to care on way or the other but she wanted it.

Adam sat up and ran his hands over his face, "I didn't. I'm sorry." He had meant to talk to him about it but it kept slipping his mind, "I'll ask him tonight."

"What's tonight?" Kim asked him. They were in an odd place, relationship wise she knew Adam wanted more than just friends and co-parents but she wasn't ready for anything more than friends. They didn't keep the other apprised of their plans, and outside of the baby they definitely lived two separate lives.

"I'm meeting him for a few beers." Adam explained, "You don't mind right?"

"No. Of course not." Kim replied, "I just didn't know. Can you talk to him please? I want to have him over, I want to get any awkwardness between the three of us out before the baby is born. I also would like it if he could meet my mom."

"I will talk to him, but Kim, I can't promise you he will come over. He's weird that way. It's nothing personal, it's just the way he is."

"Ask him. Please? For me." She was grabbed his hand, "I want him in our baby's life." She wanted her baby to have plenty of family in its life.

"He will be, Kim. It's just dinners and shit like that, it's not in his wheelhouse. He's more of come hang out and leave before dinner kind of guy." He tossed his earbuds on the nightstand, "I'm gonna jump in the shower. I'm meeting my pops in an hour. You're cool with me going right?" It was kind of weird, did he need to ask for her permission? Probably not but it felt like the thing to do.

"You don't need to ask, Adam. You're a big boy." Kim went to the doorway, "Just be careful okay?"

Adam was meeting his father at some hole in the wall bar in Canaryville, it was his Pop's stomping grounds and his Pops was the only reason he would step foot in the place. They met up at least twice a month but Adam could see that changing his Pops was always on his case about one thing or another and it was getting old.

Bob Ruzek was a good man but he was never all in when it came to his very brief marriage to Adam's mother but he did the best he could when it came to raising Adam. He and his ex seemed incapable of Co-parenting and had serious doubts that Adam and Kim could do it.

Bob was already two drinks when Adam showed up, "Took you long enough. I was starting think I'd been stood up." He laughed heartily before enveloping his son in a bear hug, "How's life on the other side of the tracks?"

"It's good. Work is crazy as always. Kim's good. The baby is growing as it should." Adam couldn't keep the smile off his face when he spoke of his family. "What about you?"

"All good on my end. Inching closer and closer to retirement. Trying to not get my old ass killed." He was just a few months away from retirement and was anxious to be done with it. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he hung up his badge but he was ready for it to be over. A career on patrol had been rough on his body, his joints ached and he was constantly popping aspirins to help with the pain, winter was the worst.

"Solid plan, Pops." Adam didn't want to even think about losing his father to the job, he was all to aware of the risks that their chosen profession had, he had those same fears. He was terrified of being killed on the job and not being around for Kim and the baby. A little bit of fear was always a good thing but if he wasn't careful, he could lose himself in it and that's when accidents happened. He needed to keep his fears in check and do what he had been trained to do, and trust his instincts and his team and he'd be fine.

"You really moved in with her, huh?" Bob still couldn't wrap his head around it, "Son, an ex is usually an ex for a reason. I'm not sure why you keep going back to her." He didn't have anything against Kim, she was a nice girl but seemed a bit finicky when it came to Adam.

"Really dad?" Adam groaned, "It was complicated. I made mistakes, so did Kim but we have worked through all of that. I know it's not ideal but it's happening. I would really appreciate your support. Kim and I are excited for this baby, your grandchild. I love this kid so much it physically hurts."

"Woah!" He held his hand up, "I support you Adam. I just think that you and Kim living together is a mistake." He saw a look of anger flit across Adam's face, he was doing a shit job of explaining himself, "Adam, I don't want to see you hurt, I'm not an idiot. I know you still love Kim. I'm worried about you. If you think this is best for you, then you've got my support. I just think that you can be there for your baby and not live with Kim."

"I don't want that dad. I don't want to be a part time dad, I grew up in two house I don't want that for my kid."

"You turned out fine." Bob interrupted his son.

Adam knew he had hit a nerve, "It's not like that dad. You did the best you could, I just want better for my kid. Just like you wanted me to grow up and in a situation that was better than what you grew up in. You did that for me, and I want to do that for my kid. You know?"

"Fair enough." Bob held his hands up, "I still want the best for you, you may be a grown ass man with a baby on the way but you're my baby boy. You'll always be my boy. I'm damn proud of you. If this is what you want and what you think is best than you've got my blessing. Not that you need it."

"Thank you." Adam smiled, "It means a lot more than you know." He finished what was left of his beer, "Ah, Kim wants you to come over for dinner. She wants you to meet her mother. Kim thinks you guys should know each other before the baby is born."

"Tell me when and where and I'll be there." Bob paid their tab, "It's not my thing but I'll do it for you. I want it to work out for you and Kim, but I don't want you to have your heart broken either."

"My heart is in good hands Pops. We've both changed, I'm not worried."

"Good to know." Bob hugged him once more, "Just let me know when to show up and I'll be there."

Adam wasn't surprised to see Kim sprawled out on the living room sofa watching television when he walked in the house, "Hey" she had taken to waiting up for him to come home wether it be from work or hanging out with Kevin. "How was it?"

"Good." Adam sat next to her, "What're you watching?"

"Trashy reality tv." She muted the sound, "Did you ask him about dinner?" She knew she was being a bit of a nag about it but it was important to her that their parents met each other.

"I did." Adam replied, he left out the fact that his dad had some reservations about their living arrangement, there was no point in telling her and he didn't want to plant any seeds of doubt in her head or in his own for that matter. He feared that discussing it at length would do just that, it would have them both over analyzing and second guessing everything, "He said to let him know when and where and he'd be there. He knows you want him to meet your mother, he said he'd meet her."

Kim clapped her hands together, "Fantastic news. I will start planning it. I'll need to talk to my mom and see when she can make the drive down. Thank you Adam."

"Oh, don't thank me yet. My dad is kind of rough around the edges, I'm not sure how your mother will receive him." Adam hadn't endeared himself to Kim's mother and he was certain his father wouldn't fare much better.

"It'll be fine. I know what my mother is like." Kim knew her mother had ridiculously high standards and often fell short her mother's expectations, "I just want them to know each other and maybe have a cordial relationship. That's all. I appreciate you asking him. I think it will be really good for the baby."

Adam rested his hand on her stomach, "I'd do anything for our baby."

Kim covered his hand with her own, "I know you will, Adam."


	3. Atwater, The Party Planner

It was a baby shower, how hard it could it be? Parties were his thing, he was known for having some kick ass parties. This wouldn't be any different.

Sure, it was rare that a baby shower was planned by a dude like himself, but his best friends were having a baby and he wanted to do this for them.

How hard could it be?

Famous last words.

Kevin had been at it for a few days now and was finding himself in party planning hell. When he had the bright idea to plan the shower he figured he needed a space big enough to accommodate friends and family. He was able to do that without much trouble, he had a buddy that owned a banquet hall, he gave him a call and booked it. When his buddy started laughing hysterically when Kevin told him why he was booking it, well that should've been his first clue.

Things started going downhill when he spoke to his little sister about it, he had called her while he was at the liquor store in an attempt to get her as soon as she got home from school. They'd been embroiled in a serious game of phone tag and he was over it.

"Hey Kevin!" The sweetest voice ever filled his ears, how he loved and adored his little sister Vinessa. While Jordan was busy doing his best to give Kevin a heart attack, Vinessa was living her best life. She was doing phenomenally since she left Chicago, she had an awesome group of friends and was succeeding in school.

"There's my boo." Kevin pulled two bottles of whiskey from the shelf and put them in his shopping cart, "How was school? The chem test?"

"School was school, Kev. It's rarely fun." She rifled through her backpack, "The chem test was hard. I studied my butt off, it didn't help though. I'll screenshot what my teacher wrote and text it to you. I was big mad."

"You did your best?" Kevin asked her.

"I did."

"That's all I want boo, that's all I want. You do your best and shit will come together. You've got this." Kevin reassured her.

Vinessa could hear a lot of background noise, "Where are you?" She could hear a lot of clinking and clanking, plus the faint hint of awful music.

"The liquor store" Kevin told her, "I'm getting drinks."

"For the baby shower?" Vinessa questioned him, "Kev, you don't have liquor at a baby shower. I guess maybe you could have some wine, but not the hard stuff. Does Kim know what you're doing?" Her brother was definitely in over his head.

"No she doesn't know. It's a surprise, Vinessa" he missed her terribly, they had such a strong bond and he missed how easily things were with them, she was the complete opposite of Jordan. "Besides what do you know about baby showers?"

"Clearly more than you. Kevin, you need help." She told him, "Can't you call one of Kim's girl friends, I know she's got a couple. Maybe her sister?"

"I can do this. I'm a big boy." Kevin returned the bottles of whiskey to the shelf and brought his now empty cart to the corral, "I gotta go."

"Kevin, wait. Let me help." Vinessa ran upstairs, "I've already planned mine..."

Kevin stopped dead in his tracks, certain he didn't hear what he thought he heard. His brain was fucking with him, "What?" He finally spoke, his heart started to race.

"I planned mine." Vinessa picked up on Kevin's sudden mood change and she was going to have a little fun at her big brother's expense, "Yep. I planned it all. The color scheme, theme, food, games. All of it."

"Hold up. Stop talking. You're 17 years old, you don't need to be having a baby. Is Auntie there? Put her on the phone. What the hell is going on in Texas? I swear I'mma bust someone's ass.."

Vinessa knew it was time to clue him in, her brother was unraveling it was funny as hell and she wished she they were FaceTiming, he would've been a sight to behold.

"I did plan my baby shower. It's not like that though. I planned my life out, college, career, dating, marriage, kids." She sat down beside her bed and reached under it, "You with me Kevin?"

She knew he was there she could hear his heavy breathing, "I need you to explain yourself Vin. This isn't funny.." Kevin's blood pressure was off the charts and he was beginning to lose patience with her.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. I was joking with you." She explained, "I have planned it all out but not like you think. It's my vision board."

"Come again?" Kevin was perplexed and to be perfectly honest still a little terrified that his baby sister was pregnant, he wasn't quite sure what to make out of what she was telling him.

"A vision board." Vinessa laid it on the bed, "Essentially it's what I want to happen in my life, I find pictures or quotes that I think apply and I put it on the board. It's a reminder. It helps to me to keep focused so I can achieve my dreams. You know put it out in the universe and it'll happen. A self fulfilling prophecy."

"What the fuck? That's crazy. Almost seems like you're inviting trouble." He had never heard of anything like that before, "Whose bright idea was that?"

"It's what kids do. At least the kids in my school, my friends. I think it's fun, it's harmless." Vinessa told him. "anyway when I was doing it, I went on Pinterest and found all these cool games and stuff. You should check it out, just put baby shower in the search bar. You can thank me later."

"Pinterest? What the hell?" Kevin climbed in his truck, "You're making my head hurt V. I gotta go." Kevin loved her to death but he was slightly annoyed that she had played him.

"Wait, you need help. I can help plan it. Please let me?" Vinessa checked the calendar, "I don't have school for the next week and a half. Please let me come. I miss you. I miss Kim and Adam. Please?"

"I will look into it. Be good Vinessa. I love you." He ended the call just as he pulled into the 21st parking lot. He raced inside and grabbed Platt, "Sarge.." he took hold of her arm, ignoring the icy glare she sent his way. He pulled her into a vacant office and closed the door, "Uh sorry about that..."

"As you should be." She straightened her shirt sleeve, "What did you do? I'm fresh out of favors, so if you've gotten your dumbass in trouble, look elsewhere. I can't help you." She rolled her eyes, she had thought when he moved upstairs he would no longer be her problem, but that was a joke. He was still very much her problem.

"I bit off more than I can chew and I need help." He explained, "I thought I could do this, but I can't. I'm in over my head. This is hard. Who would've thought it would be, it's a party. I love parties. It should be easy for me." He rambled.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this little display..,but I've got a lot to do. So please. Get to the point." Platt had been at it all day and she was close to finishing her shift and she needed to finish paperwork before she could leave.

"Kim's baby shower. I can't do it alone. I need help." Kevin looked at her pleadingly, "C'mon Sarge. I'm desperate, my best friends are having a baby. They deserve a kick ass baby shower and I tried. I really tried, but I'm just gonna fuck it up. My baby sister, she's telling me about vision boards and Pinterest. I have no fucking clue what Pinterest is, do you?"

"Oh. This? This is gold. Pure gold." Platt pushed her sleeves up and watched him squirm, "You'll owe me, you know that right?"

"I do. It's terrifying." Kevin knew she'd cash in her chit and whatever he would have to do would be awful but it was worth it.

"It just so happens I know a thing or two about Pinterest. When Randall and I remodeled that was my go to. Tell me what you've have already sorted out."

"I've got a venue."

Trudy waited a minute or two and was met with nothing but silence, "Cat got your tongue? What else?"

"Nothing." He told her, "I had some whiskey but I've been told it's not appropriate for a baby shower."

"No its not. It will be appropriate for planning it though. I'll help you." Platt guided him towards the door, "you need to get your ass upstairs and get to work. Leave the baby shower to me."

The weight of the world slipped off his shoulders, "Thanks Sarge. You're doing me a solid." He turned around to face her, "Kim and Adam, they mean the world to me. They're my family. I just want to make this special for them, you know?" His phone vibrated with a text message from Vinessa, it was a photo of her test where she had score a 97 and he beamed with pride. She had played him, clearly it was something she enjoyed doing and he missed her something terrible and he was going to seriously consider flying her in for a visit. He turned his attention back to Platt when he heard her voice.

"I do." Platt smiled, "You will make this special with my guidance. I can't imagine the shit show the shower would've been if you hadn't come to me. Thank goodness we will never now."

It had taken a handful clandestine meetings, and more than a little ball busting but they had done it, they had planned the perfect baby shower. Who would've thought that Kevin Atwater and Trudy Platt would ever add 'baby shower planning' to the list of their accomplishments?

For people who often worked undercover and had learn to flawlessly lie in order to bring down a criminal, they struggled with keeping it a surprise.

Just a few days ago Kim had stopped by the 21st to drop off lunch for Adam and she walked in on one Kevin and Platt with their heads together deep in party planning mode.

"Hi Kevin, Platt." She greeted them with a smile.

Platt nearly jumped out of her skin, she rested her hand against her chest, "Burgess! Hasn't anyone ever told you not to sneak up on people?" Her heart thudded wildly in her chest.

"Umm, I didn't sneak up on you. Are you okay?" She was a bit confused, "Kev? You look like you're about to puke." She instinctively backed up, her fear of vomit was real. "You two looked like you were in a serious conversation."

"What? Us? Me and Atwater?" Platt scoffed, "As if. Do you really think this man could carry on a serious conversation with anyone let alone me? Ha. You've got jokes Burgess. He's incapable of serious conversation. You of all people should know that, he's not quite the man child that your baby daddy is but he's not far off." She rattled on and on.

"Easy Boss. I am standing right here." Kevin winced, "We were just talking about some things. Nothing for you to worry about." He noticed the take out bag in her hand, "You brought me lunch, that's sweet of you Burgess." He reached out to take it from her.

Kim swatted his hand away, "It's not for you. It's Adam's lunch. He upstairs?"

"Yes." Platt answered, "I'll buzz you up. Atwater, you and I need to continue our conversation." They needed to tie up a few loose ends and then they were good to go for the party. They would just need to confirm things with the bakery and a few other odds and ends before the weekend.

Kim found the entire interaction a bit bizarre but blew it off as she went upstairs, she found Adam hunched over his notebook trying to decipher his notes.

"I come bearing gifts." She smiled, she wasn't enjoying her time off. She grew bored easily and wasn't one that could sit home and do nothing. The cabin fever was strong some days, and today it was one of those days. She needed to get out of the house, Adam had left early and without eating breakfast, he had been in a bit of a rush and left his lunchbox on the table. They were trying to cut corners wherever they could, and Adam's habit of eating take out everyday was the first thing to be cut from the budget.

"Sweet." Adam accepted the bag, "You didn't need to bring me lunch though. I was going to hit up the vending machine." He opened the bag and noticed she had grabbed him a burger from his favorite place, "Ah, you're a saint. Where's yours?"

"I couldn't wait. I ate mine there. It was delicious." Kim told him, "What's up with Kevin and Platt?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I ran into them downstairs, it was strange." She pulled her desk chair up to his desk as sat down, her feet were killing her.

"It's Platt, there's no telling. Atwater probably fucked something up and she's bitching because she needs to clean up his mess." He took the first glorious bite, "this is outstanding." He spoke with a mouth full of food, "You feeling okay? How's your back doing, is it still bothering you?"

"It's better but still kinda sore." She'd been dealing with the back pain for a few days now and had grown used to it. Kim handed him a napkin from the bag, "other than that I'm good and I've only peed twenty times today." She chuckled, "but the day is still young."

"We're in the home stretch now, Kim. Won't be long. I can't wait." Adam explained, "I'll put the crib together this weekend. Once that's done it will feel real."

They had purchased furniture just after Adam moved in, the dresser with the changing table top sat in the corner of the nursery, along with a gorgeous glider and matching ottoman, the crib was still in the box. It was definitely going to take some time to assemble it, Adam had been watching YouTube videos in hopes of making the build a bit easier. It definitely wasn't his strong suit but there was no way he was going to pay the exorbitant fee for someone to come to the house and assemble it.

"I need to wash the bedding before we put it on, "I've already washed some of the babies clothes, I also ordered the cutest little dress and then the tiniest pair of jeans I've ever seen in my life and a flannel shirt. I got one that looks a lot like the blue one you're always wearing. I know it's silly, since we don't what we're having but I wanted to buy something gender specific."

"Sweet. Sounds adorable." Adam finished his burger, "Listen I need to chase down a lead. I'll see you at home?"

"Of course. Be careful." Kim watched him leave and then made her way home.

They had to get a little creative on getting Adam and Kim to the banquet hall on the day of the party. Getting Adam out of the house wasn't the issue, it was Kim who was difficult to get out of the house.

Platt finally managed to convince Kim to go out shopping with her and promised to buy her lunch and Kim eventually cracked. Platt was quick to bring up how Kim was constantly whining about being stuck in the house all the time.

Kevin was taking Adam to the shooting range, under the guise that he needed Adam's help to meet their next qualifying marks.

That left Halstead, Rojas, and Upton to greet the guests at the baby shower and hold down the fort until the guests of honor arrived.

The venue was decked out in gray and yellow balloons, Platt didn't have a lot of time to work with but no one would ever know it. She had pulled off a herculean task and knocked it out of the park.

It wasn't long before the back wall was lined with gifts of various shapes and sizes, Kim had refused to register for gifts. She felt it was extremely tacky, and was completely oblivious to the fact she would be having a baby shower.

Kevin and Adam had reloaded their weapons twice already and while Adam was eager to do another round, Kevin knew it was time to leave.

"C'mon man, we can give those AK's a spin." Adam pleaded with him, "Don't be a bitch, Kev." He started to fill out the request form for an attendant to deliver the weapons to to their bay.

"I gotta go, Ruz." Kevin started packing up, "I mean you're welcome to stay but I'm your ride and we both know you're not going to walk the ten miles home." Adam's shoulders slumped and he begrudgingly packed up.

"You're a buzz kill." They hadn't been there more than an hour, hour and a half tops. "When did you go soft on me?" He asked, "Once the baby's born I won't be spending as much time with your sorry ass. You know that right?"

"Sure." Kevin bobbed his head up and down, it was just the opening he needed, "Stop whining. I don't know about you but I'm starving, how about I buy you lunch? Will that get you to stop bitching?"

"I'm down. Especially if it's on your dime." Adam grabbed his backpack that sat at his feet and slung it over his shoulder, "Let's hit the steakhouse by the 21st, I'm gonna order me a porterhouse."

"I was thinking we would hit up a joint with a dollar menu." Kevin replied, "I'm not made of money."

"You're a cheap son of a bitch." Adam quipped.

They had been to two different baby stories and Kim was still in search of the perfect breast pump, she planned on nursing whenever possible but knew she needed to be practical. Once her maternity leave was over and she was back at work, she'd need to pump. Adam had expressed the desire to be able to feed the baby as well, pointing out that they were living together and he was more than willing to do the late night feeds.

They found themselves in front of yet another display of pumps and Trudy was growing more frustrated by the minute.

"Burgess..seriously?" Platt huffed as she rested her arms on the shopping cart, "It's a pump how hard is it to pick one?"

Kim glanced over her shoulder at her, "I'm torn. I'm trying to decide between these two." She pointed at the two pumps. They were very similar in cost but one was marketed towards working moms and while she liked that one, she also liked another model. The other model would work for her as well but she'd need to by the add on kit which included a travel case and a six pack of bottles, and that meant another sixty bucks added to the price tag.

"Burgess, they all do the same thing. You just attach it to your boob and turn it on. Right?" It was an overly simple way to put it, but she could tell by Kim's reaction that it had hit the mark.

"You're right." Kim announced, "I'm over thinking it."

"You?" Platt gasped, "No way...not you, Burgess. You'd never over think anything." She rolled her eyes to hammer in her point.

"Funny." Kim grabbed the ticket for the pump she wanted and carried it to the register.

"All of your over thinking has me famished. Can we finally go and get lunch." Platt reminded her of their original plans, "Remember that I'm buying, so I pick where we go."

"I'm in. I'm starving." Kim rocked on her heels a bit, "I feel like I haven't eaten in days."

"Ha! We both know that isn't true. You scarfed down a muffin this morning." Platt had stopped by the bakery near Mouch's firehouse and dropped off some treats before they went shopping. It was a bit of a lie as she also needed to confirm the delivery address for the cake and when it would need to be dropped off.

Trudy loved Kevin and his desire to plan a baby shower for Kim and Adam but the man was clueless as to what a shower entailed and she wished she had more than two weeks time to pull it all together.

They had been playing phone tag all morning, at least a dozen texts had been fired off and they had synched their arrival to the venue to almost the exact second.

"Uh..Kevin, what's up?" Adam asked as he spotted Kim and Platt near the entrance, "Kim's here?"

"Platt too." Kevin added, "We can share a table, maybe I can get Platt to go halfsies with me on the bill."

"Adam?" Kim was shocked to see him and Kevin walk up, "What are you guys doing here?" She hugged both and Adam and Kevin.

"Same thing as you." Adam told her as he ran his hand over her belly, "Lunch. This is weird though. How did you two know about this place? It doesn't look like a restaurant."

"It's not. It's my buddy's place though. Let's go on in." Kevin opened the door for them, he ushered Kim and Adam in first.

They had been prepared for their arrival and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, they were greeted at the door by the hostess who led them towards the banquet room.

Kevin opened the door and they were instantly greeted with a chorus of 'Surprise!"

Kim brought her hand to her mouth as she was overwhelmed by the crowd, she noticed the banner that hung across the back wall 'Pink or Blue, We love you!'

"It's your baby shower, Burgess." Kevin hugged her, "Surprise!"

"Wow!" Adam was speechless, "This is incredible, thank you."

The party was in full swing, they had played silly party games, had eaten a ton of food and were mingling with their guests. Both Adam and Kim were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, they were going about things in such a non traditional way that it was nice to be a bit traditional for once.

"Kim, how about you and Adam open the gifts?" Platt suggested as she stopped at the table Kim was sitting at.

"Sure. I just need to use the restroom." She told her.

"I swear you pee more than anyone I know." Platt huffed,

Kim pointed to her stomach, "In case you've forgotten I'm pregnant." She ambled towards the restroom, the achy pain in her back hadn't eased off and it was really starting to have her feeling uncomfortable.

Trudy noticed her run her hand over her lower back, "Kim, does your back hurt?"

"It does." Kim pulled the bathroom door open, "My back, my feet. The many joys of pregnancy." She laughed lightly as she stepped into the handicap stall, she wasn't huge but the extra room the handicap stall provided was nice.

Trudy stepped into the stall a few doors down and took care of business, she exited the stall and washed her hands all before Kim exited her stall. She turned around to knock on the door when Kim finally opened it, her face white as a sheet.

"Kim?"

She could hear the sound of her heart beating in her ears, "I'm bleeding..."


	4. A Dramatic Entrance

Adam was an absolute wreck, he had no idea what was going on with Kim and the baby, he feared the possibility of losing them both.

He would never forget the way Trudy had screamed for help, he and Jay just happened to be walking by the restrooms when Kim had passed out.

Someone, he had no fucking clue who had called for an ambulance but he refused to wait and Sylvie Brett suggested they drive Kim instead of waiting, they couldn't risk wasting time waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Jay drove as Adam sat in the back cradling Kim in his arms, once they pulled up to the emergency room entrance everything happened so fast that his head was still spinning.

He was able to spend just a few minutes with Kim before she was wheeled into the operating room for an emergency cesarean section, she was diagnosed with a placental abruption and the baby's heart rate was trending in the wrong direction. He could vaguely remember being told that they needed to deliver the baby as soon as possible, and that at 33 weeks gestation the odds were strong for survival.

Adam was scared shitless and it didn't help matters that he wasn't allowed in the operating room. He didn't like how out of it Kim was and he felt helpless, he was allowed to walk alongside her hospital bed as she wheeled towards the OR, he held her hand the entire way. As they stopped in front of the doors, he kissed her forehead and told her everything was going to be okay, he just hoped to hell it would be.

They told him that they would update him as soon as possible and that once the baby was delivered a nurse would come and get him.

All that was left for him to do was wait, or to be more precise, pace. He paced the length of the surgical waiting room, there were about two dozen chairs in the room and all of them but a few were occupied.

Most of the baby shower guests had arrived at the hospital to wait with him, their presence irritated him just a bit. He knew they all meant well but he wished they'd go home, the fewer people the better.

Both Trudy and Kevin had managed to keep them at bay and give Adam some space.

He was told to prepare for surgery to last an hour to two, they were just shy of hour two and his patience was running out. He had already called the desk for an update and was reminded that someone would call him as soon as there was news, the ladies at the desk had no idea as to what was happening. He about bit the poor woman's head off he felt terrible and instantly called her back, she was very gracious about it and assured Adam it was fine and that an apology wasn't he necessary.

Adam finally sat down and mere seconds later Kevin nudged him with his elbow, "Ruz.."

Adam jumped up, "How's Kim?" He asked, as terrified as he was for their baby, he was just as scared for Kim. She had looked awful, her face was gray and ashen and she was weak and out of it. She had tried to talk to him but her thoughts were very disorganized and she didn't make much sense.

"They're closing her up now. The doctor will update you as soon as he finishes up. I'm here to take you to see the baby."

"The baby?" Adam's voice wobbled as did his knees, "It's too soon though, it's the baby okay? Kim is only 33 weeks pregnant." It was still a bit surreal to him, he still thought of her as being pregnant.

The nurse nodded, "Yes. The baby is doing okay at the moment. C'mon let's go."

Adam followed the nurse down the long corridor, it felt a bit odd to be meeting his baby without Kim, this wasn't how it was supposed to go down. It was hard to believe the baby was here, he was a father. It was no longer some abstract concept, it was his reality. He was someone's father.

The nurse motioned towards the NICU, "The baby will be moved into the NICU shortly. Right now it's in one of the private exam rooms as it's conditioned is assessed." She was being careful she didn't want to giveaway the gender. "you'll need to put these on." She grabbed an unopened bag of scrubs from the closet. "Once the baby has been moved into the NICU I will bring you back." She pointed him towards a dressing room, "You can change in one of the cubicles, I'll be back for you shortly."

It couldn't have been more than four or five minutes but it had felt like it had been forever when the nurse finally returned, they stopped just outside of the NICU, "Your little one is inside. I need you to wash your hands, scrub from your fingertips to your elbows. Once you're finished we can go see the baby."

Walking into the NICU took Adam's breath away, he scanned the room looking for his baby. He was shocked by how tiny some of the babies were, their little bodies were swallowed up by the incubators. It was confronting and hard to see the all of the IVs and monitors attached to such tiny babies.

"Your baby is back here." The nurse pointed to the incubator that held his baby.

Adam stopped when he spotted his baby, a tiny card stuck to the outside of the incubator read '_Baby Boy Burgess_', "That's my baby?" The tiny blue placard above the baby's incubator read boy, but it didn't click with him.

"Yes." The nurse began to explain what was going on with the baby, "As of right now the baby is breathing on its own, which is a really good sign. His lungs aren't as developed as full term baby. He's doing okay now but don't be alarmed if he needs some help breathing at some point..."

"Boy? It's..." Adam stammered, "...it's a boy? My son?"

"Yes, you do. Congratulations." She rubbed Adam's back, "He's just a hair over four pounds. He will need help maintaining his body temperature and will require a feeding tube, due to his gestational age his suck and swallow reflex hasn't developed yet but that will come in time. We will keep a close eye on him, right now our main goal is to keep him breathing on his own. He's premature but at thirty three weeks the prognosis is good."

Adam rested his hand on the top of the incubator, "I love you son." He ignored the tears that filled his eyes. "I can't believe you're here. Clearly you're like your mom, she's the one who is always early. I think in this instance your mother would've rather you took after me and were late to the party." He chucked a bit, "This is surreal." He didn't dare take his eyes off his son.

"I bet." She opened the small port on the side of the incubator, "You can slide your hand in here to touch him."

"I can?"

"Of course." She smiled at him, "I think he'd like that."

Adam carefully placed his hand through the hole and very gently touched his son for the first time, his little arm was tiny, "he's so little. His hands and fingers, they're perfect." He used his other hand to wipe the tears away.

"Does he have a name?" The nurse asked, "We like to address the baby by its name as soon as possible." It was important to the staff they used the newborn's name, life was often touch and go in the NICU that they wanted each baby to know it was loved and cared for. They wanted the parents to know that someone had called their baby by its name.

Adam cleared his throat, "Oscar. My son's name is Oscar."

"Welcome to the world Sweet Oscar." The nurse reached in and stroked Oscar' s foot, "What an adorable name for an adorable baby."

"What's on his face?" Adam asked the nurse.

"It's a CPAP. It helps to prevent Oscar's lungs from collapsing when he exhales." The nurse explained, "We've got an IV to help deliver fluids and any medications he might need. He's got an umbilical artery catheter and that will be used to draw blood samples."

"Does any of it hurt him?" Adam couldn't bare the thought of his son being in pain.

"No. He is completely oblivious to them. I'm sure it hurts you far more than it hurts him." She glanced towards the door, "The doctor is here."

Adam caressed his son's head, what little hair Oscar had felt like silk between his fingers, "I'll be right back Oscar. I need to talk to the doctor."

Adam approached the doctor, "Is Kim okay?"

"I'm Doctor Cashman, I performed the c-section." He shook Adam's hand, "Kim has been moved to her room, it's room 2125. Everything went as planned, once we delivered the baby we turned our focus to Kim, we managed to stop the bleeding and things look good. Recovery time is about six weeks and Kim will be in some discomfort. I don't foresee any complications and as soon as Kim feels up to it, she can visit with your son." He could see the relief in Adam's eyes, "She will be a bit out of it as the anesthesia wears off."

"Thank you." Adam felt himself exhale, "Whew..." he laughed, "What a day." He felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders and he felt like he was breathing for the first time since this nightmare started.

Dr. Cashman laughed, "I bet. The best kind of day, eh?"

Adam grinned from ear to ear, "Yes. I could've done without the dramatics but yes, it's most definitely the best kind of day."

"Congratulations. Why don't you head over to Kim's room, I'm sure she'd love for you to be there when she wakes up,"

"Absolutely" Adam went back to his son, "Your mom is okay, O. She's a champ but I'm sure you already know that. I'll be back soon and I'll bring your mom with me."

The nurse saw Adam coming, "Go check on mom. I will take fantastic care of Oscar."

It was hard for Adam to walk away from his son but he wanted to be at Kim's side the second she woke up. He took a detour and headed towards the surgical waiting room, he needed to give everyone an update, though they'd be frustrated by the lack of information on the baby as he wanted to Kim to know they had a son, before he told anyone else.

He took a deep breath as the elevator doors slid open, he cleared his throat, "Hey,.." instantly Trudy and Kevin jumped up from their chairs and raced towards him.

"How's Burgess?" Kevin asked his hands clasped together in front of his face, "the baby?"

"I've seen the baby. Right now the baby is stable and being cared for in the NICU. I went and visited with the baby for a bit.." Adam paused to gather his thoughts, "...wow, let me tell you what a feeling that was. I'm a dad." His smile lit up his entire face, "I know you want to know all of the details, but I can't tell you until Kim knows. I hope you understand."

Trudy clapped her hands joyfully, "I understand. I'm anxious to know but more than anything I am happy knowing the baby is okay. Is Kim okay?"

"As soon as I'm finished here I'm going to her room. The doctor said all went well, and she should recover without complications. It'll be a rough recovery but I know Kim can do it." He was exhausted, "I really need to get to Kim. Once Kim is up and moving and she's seen the baby we will reach out and let everyone know what's going on."

Kevin and Trudy both hugged him before he retreated to the elevator.

He stopped on a dime as soon as he entered Kim's room, seeing her in the bed was rough, a nurse was still with her but beckoned him inside, "Come on in. I'm just checking her lines and getting her settled. She's been in and out of it for a few minutes now. She should wake up soon, she'll feel a bit groggy but aside from that she should be okay. She has pain medicine on board so she shouldn't be in too much pain." She watched as Adam pulled the chair alongside her bed, "Talk to her. Let he know you're here with her. Call the nurses station when she's up and ready to visit the baby."

"Okay." Adam grabbed Kim's hand, "Thank you."

"You bet." The nurse smiled, "Congratulations, daddy."

Adam choked up a bit which resulted in a simple nod of his head, he couldn't bring himself to speak. The adrenaline had started to wear off and he was starting to feel the enormity of what had gone down and it left him feeling overwhelmed and he broke down. He started to cry, the kind of cry that makes your entire body shudder with each sob.

Kim was awoken by the sound of crying, it took her a minute to gain her bearings and realize where she was, and what had happened. The pain in her gut was minimal and her head felt foggy, she finally opened her eyes and saw Adam sitting beside her. He was hunched over and had his face buried in his hands as he cried, "Adam..." her voice was soft, "Adam...where's the baby..."

It took a minute to register that Kim was speaking to him, he finally heard her when she called his name a third time, "Are you okay?" He asked her, "you're not in pain right?"

Kim shook her head no, "Where's the baby Adam? Is it okay?" She was seconds away from full blown panic, "I had a c-section...it's all a bit of a blur...I was bleeding..."

Adam wiped his eyes and moved to sit on the edge of her bed, "You had a placental abruption, the baby's heart rate became a bit erratic the doctors were getting worried, they didn't want to take any risks with your life or the baby's life."

"Is the baby okay?" Kim was growing frustrated with him, "I need to know!"

"Calm down." Adam replied, he could see her heart rate begin to climb, "the baby is in the NICU. I went and saw the baby just a few minutes after it was delivered, our baby is beautiful."

Kim began to cry, "It's a boy, isn't it?" She has a sneaking suspicion that she was carrying a boy she couldn't explain it but she was almost positive she had a son.

"It is. Kim, he's beautiful. The nurse asked me what his name was and I said Oscar. I hope that's okay, that you still want to call him that."

Kim was full on crying now, "Yes, that's okay. It's perfect. Our sweet little Oscar." She reached for Adam's hand and squeezed it, "I'm only 33 weeks, he's early. Is he okay?"

"So far so good." Adam told her, "Are you up to going to see him?"

"Yes!" Kim replied instantly, "Help me."

Adam stopped her, "Let me get the nurse. Just take it easy Kim. Please. You've just had surgery."

Kim felt the first snippet of pain and slowed her movements, "Okay. Please hurry Adam. I need to see Oscar."

Much to Kim's chagrin it had taken nearly an hour to get her to the NICU, the doctor insisted on checking her out before she was allowed to go, then the neonatologist wanted to meet with them both before they could visit the baby.

Overall the prognosis looked favorable for Oscar, while he was a preemie he was starting off on the right fit, while he was small it was a nice weight for his gestational age. Being born at thirty three weeks wasn't ideal but it wasn't awful either, and the doctors were optimistic about where things stood, they needed to be prepared for setbacks and he would be monitored closely. All in the all the doctors were cautiously optimistic about Oscar's health.

Kim was quiet as they made their way to the NICU, she was anxious to see her baby. She'd already been told she couldn't hold him yet and that was a bit deflating but she understood why and that it was what was best for Oscar. He needed to be able to maintain his body temperature before they could hold him, they hoped that in the next day or two they could reassess but for now she was happy with being able to see him and to touch him.

Adam hadn't taken any photos of him and Kim was a bit miffed with him at first but she appreciated the fact that he didn't want to do to much without her beside him. Adam wanted Kim to see Oscar for the first time in person, not in a cell phone photo.

Adam helped Kim to change her into a different gown before he changed into his scrubs, he then helped her to scrub her arms before he did his own.

"Are you okay?" Adam kneeled down in front of Kim's chair, "You'll tell me if you're in pain, right?" They stood just outside the NICU, Adam wanted to be sure Kim was ready to see their son.

"Yes. Let's go see our son." She was over talking and was desperate to see her son.

Adam maneuvered her wheelchair through the maze that was the NICU and stopped in front of their son's incubator, "Hey, O. I'm back, I've got your mommy with me. Just like I promised. She's had a rough day, but she's strong. I think that's where you get your strength from buddy." He opened the little port and placed his hand on his son's tiny chest.

Kim was a mess, tears poured from her eyes and she struggled to speak and eventually gave up, she slipped her hand inside the incubator and took Oscar's perfect but tiny little hand in her's, "Mommy loves you.." she finally managed to speak. Adam had prepared her, she knew that Oscar was hooked up to monitors, that he was wearing a CPAP but it didn't little to help. It was confronting to see her precious baby boy in such a state.

Adam wrapped his free arm around Kim and the pair stood in silence for a long time watching their son's tiny chest rise and fall with each breath.

When they finally went back to Kim's room and before Adam left for the night they sent out a massive group text.

_Please meet our son, Oscar Adam Burgess. He didn't want to miss out on his baby shower, so he decided to arrive seven weeks early. He weighed in at four pounds one ounce and is eighteen inches long, he's holding his own right now and the doctors are optimistic. Kim is recovering from the c-section nicely and in some pain but our hearts are bursting with love for our sweet 'O'. Thank you for all the support today, and we can't wait for all of you to meet our precious son. For right now we ask for privacy as we get to know our boy. _

They attached two pictures and Adam promptly turned his phone off as soon as it was sent. He knew once he sent that message they would bombarded with congratulatory messages.

Adam hated leaving Kim but he knew she needed to sleep and he was really starting to feel it, he promised to be back first thing in the morning. He stopped by the NICU to say good night to Oscar and went on his way.

He made one pit stop before heading home, he grabbed two beers from the convenience store across from the hospital and went to the cemetery.

He weaved through the endless rows of headstone before finding Al's, he opened the beers he took a long pull from his and then took the other beer and poured it out next to the headstone.

"My son is here, Al." Adam smiled wistfully, "I wish you were here to meet him, he's perfect. Kim was amazing..." He was so proud of her. "..is amazing, she gave me the most precious gift in the world. We are calling him Oscar, Oscar Adam. We picked that name with you in mind, I've already started calling him 'O'." He used the back of his hand to wipe the tears away, "I hope I can be half the father you were, Al. I want you to be proud of me. I miss you man, I love you." He stood up and rested his hand on the headstone, "I'll bring him by when he's a bit older, I want O to know all about you and how much you meant to me and Kim."

The second Adam's head hit the pillow he passed out, the excitement of the day had kicked his ass.

As much as Kim wanted to go down to the NICU to sit with Oscar, she knew she needed to get some sleep, but right now she couldn't sleep. The pediatrician had given her a packet full of information on what to expect during O's time in the NICU. She wanted to know everything there was to know about the hurdles her son might face.

Kim tried her best to read it all but her eyes grew heavy and her abdomen began to throb, she grabbed a piece of scrap paper and tucked it in the pamphlet to keep her page. She elevated the back of the bed a bit in order to turn off the light.

It didn't take long to drift off to sleep,

_**This is the last chapter of the 'mini story' and from this point on each chapter will be a stand alone, a 'one shot' if you will. They will vary in length and topic, they won't need to be read in the order they are posted. I don't know how frequently they will be posted or how many I will end up having, my best advice would be to 'follow' this story that way you'll receive a notification when one is posted.**_

_**As always thanks for reading and reviewing!**_


	5. INFO ON CHAPTER 5

I know many of you are confused about chapter five, sadly I have pulled it for now. I'm so ridiculously stuck on the second part of the story that I have temporarily given up on it. I don't plan on working on it anytime soon, I'm hoping a break from it will help. I didn't want to leave it up with it being unfinished, at some point I hope to finish it.

I do have another mini story in progress, and I'm finished with the first part and nearly done with the second. It will only be a 3 part story, that will be posted once it's completed.

I'm sorry for any confusion I caused with the removal of chapter 5.

Thanks for reading!


	6. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 1

_**Just to clear up any confusion, I deleted the mini story titled 'Six Months In', I am seriously stuck with it and didn't want to leave it up and not have it finished. I'm hoping taking a break from it will allow me to work through the fog a bit and perhaps finish it. This one will be posted it only when it's been completed so the next part will be posted shortly.**_

Oscar woke just as the sun peeked over the horizon, his level of excitement was off the charts. He was never a morning person and was a pain the ass to get up in the morning but that wasn't the case today.

Today was the day he was finally getting to go to the shooting range with his dad and uncle, he had to wait until he turned 11. His birthday was two weeks ago but being the son of police officers he learned early on that work would sometimes mess up the special days and cancel whatever plans his family had.

He had been heartbroken when Adam had been called into work on his actual birthday, he was in a foul mood most of that day. He made sure everyone knew it too, it was an ugly day on all fronts.

Adam felt like shit because of it, he hated that his work pulled him away from his family. It was inevitable and most of the time Oscar understood, but it had stung more than usual because it was his birthday and they planned to hit the shooting range. Oscar was so excited to go and it killed him when he had to break the news to him. Adam would never forget the look on Oscar's face when he told him he had to go to work.

Oscar tried to be stoic but it was impossible, he tried to say it was okay but his voice cracked and his bottom lip started to quiver, Adam was done for. He tried to hug Oscar but he wanted no part of it, he backed away from Adam and ran upstairs to his bedroom.

It didn't help matters that Adam didn't get home until well after midnight and missed out on the family dinner. When Adam had a few minutes of downtime he tried to FaceTime with Oscar, only for Oscar to be far too consumed in a video game to talk.

Adam made sure to spend some one on one time with Oscar once things settled down, he had picked up early from school and they went for a run together and then grabbed dinner from Oscar's favorite restaurant. They spent the entire afternoon together, it was just the two of them, there were no distractions at all, it was just father and son.

Oscar loved every minute of it, he loved spending time with his dad and thought the man walked on water.

Adam promised him that their trip to the shooting range would happen, no matter what. He had even gone to Voight about it and explained the situation and asked that if something did come across their desks that he wouldn't be called in right away, that he could spend the morning with Oscar and then come in.

Voight was hesitant at first but seeing the framed photo of Justin on his desk had made it an easy decision. He told Adam he could have the morning off if they caught a case, he knew how quickly kids grew up, he didn't want Adam to miss out on making memories with his son.

Oscar rifled through the dresser drawers looking for his favorite hoodie, one that was emblazoned with a Cubs logo and a police department patch on the sleeves. Once he was dressed he went to Adam's bedroom and knocked lightly on the door.

He bounced on his toes waiting to hear signs of life from the bedroom, he knocked again and again, each knock grew a bit stronger in intensity. He knew his dad was hard to wake up, Oscar was often reminded that he was just like his dad in that respect. Oscar wore that like a badge of honor, he loved it when people compared him to his dad. Even if it wasn't a great trait to have, he didn't care he just wanted to be like his dad.

She groaned as she connected the dots and realized that the knocking sound was real and wasn't going away. It took a few seconds for the fog of a deep sleep to dissipate, she reached across and nudged Adam's shoulder, "That's your wake up call, Adam."

She wasn't surprised at all that her nudge and grumbled words didn't wake him up, she rolled on to her side and gave him a push in the back, "Your son is knocking on our bedroom door. You need to deal with him. I'm sleeping. It's you he wants."

Adam finally woke up, "How the hell is that he's up so early on the weekends but during the week he's impossible to get up." He climbed out of bed, "it's fucking early." He went to the door and opened it a crack.

"Dad! I've been knocking forever!" Oscar whined, "We are going to go shooting today, right? You promised we'd go." He was bouncing on his toes, very rarely was he not moving, but this was off the charts, the excitement for what laid ahead had him wired.

"It's early, O. The range isn't open yet, but yes we are going. Why don't you go play on the Xbox while I shower."

Oscar heard his stomach growl, "I'm hungry."

That wasn't news the kid was a bottomless pit, "Of course you are. We are meeting Uncle Kevin for breakfast, you'll eat then."

"But I'm hungry now, dad. Super hungry."

"One bowl of cereal Oscar, one bowl." Adam instructed him, "I mean it man, just one bowl."

"Thanks!" Oscar threw his arms around Adam's waist and gave him a good squeeze, "thank you for taking me dad. I love you."

Adam bent down to kiss the top of Oscar's head, the smell of shampoo remained from last night's shower, "I love you to buddy. More than you'll ever know." He tousled O's hair as he pulled away, "You need a haircut."

"No, I don't. It's like yours. That's how I want it." Oscar explained, "I'm going to eat now okay? Can you take a quick shower dad? Not a long one. I really want to go." Oscar was fearful that Adam would get called into work and their plans would be ruined.

"We are going, Oscar. I promise." Adam told him, "Go downstairs, I'll be down shortly."

Adam had to laugh as he turned around, he hadn't been at the door more than five or six minutes, and she had spread out in the bed taking over his side of the bed as well as her own.

He watched her sleep for a minute or so before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"You're a really good dad, Adam." She didn't bother to open her eyes, "and you both need haircuts."

Adam laughed, "Stop hating on my hair, darlin'. I thought you had gone back to sleep." He went into their bathroom to get ready.

Kim followed him, "You know as well as I do that there are two little girls that will be up in a matter of minutes, no one in this house sleeps in. It's not fair." She whined.

"Sleep just isn't in the cards for us." He shrugged his shoulders, "Shower with me?"

Kim scrunched her face up in disgust, "No thanks." She teased, "When you say sleep isn't in the cards for _us_, who is the _us_ you speak of? Cause your ass sleeps in most weekends." She slapped his bare ass as he walked by on his way to shower.

"Come on darin' take a shower with me." Adam wasn't giving up just yet.

"It's a no from me, Adam." Kim retorted, "You know we don't have time for shower shenanigans."

"Baby, I can work fast." Adam peeked out from behind the shower curtain.

"Isn't that the sad truth." Kim leaned in for what was supposed to be a quick kiss, only for Adam to pull her in with him.

"Ah shit, I'm sorry..." Adam teased.

"That was rude. You better bring your A game after pulling that shit, my dear." Kim mumbled against his lips.

It was hard to believe they were parents of an eleven year old, it often felt like just yesterday that Kim discovered she was pregnant. She had been terrified of the pregnancy and what it would mean for her and Adam, she was so afraid of what the future held for the three of them.

Things were always good between her and Adam, remarkably good in fact. They were coparenting champions, they always put Oscar's needs before their own. They briefly dated other people, and it was a bit awkward but nothing ever stuck for either one of them. There was never anyone who was worth a second date.

A close call at work put things into perspective for them both.

Oscar had just turned two and was fully committed to the terrible twos, he was hell on two feet and left both Kim and Adam feeling exhausted most days. He was all boy and inquisitive as hell he was always into something and you couldn't turn your back on him, not even for a second. The fact that Oscar had no fear kept both Adam and Kim on their toes, Adam often joked that work was a nice break from Oscar's craziness,

Kim was working with intelligence but on a more traditional schedule and she was more often than not working from a desk and rarely out in the field. They had decided that having both Adam and Kim work in the field was a risk they didn't want to take, they knew their job came with serious risks and they didn't want Oscar to have both of his parents in the line of fire.

They had been working a nasty case involving rival gangs and they were working it with the gang unit, which was being run by Antonio Dawson at the time. He had returned from Puerto Rico and was able to get his badge back and hooked up with an old buddy from the unit and things fell into place pretty quickly. It was a good fit, and the two units worked well together.

Adam was working undercover with an officer named Jeff Wiggins from Antonio's unit and they had gone off the grid for a bit. At first no one was concerned about it but as the hours ticked by it became clear that something was wrong. Very wrong.

It was about eighteen hours later when a call came into the 911 center, a man who was out for an early run had come across two badly beaten men on the side of the road. It didn't take long for the news to spread like wildfire and the rumors began, they feared it was Adam and Jeff.

Both men had taken a serious beating and had been left almost unidentifiable. Kim had been at her desk when Voight received the call, and she knew instantly that it was about Adam.

It was the worst seventy two hours of her life, Adam was left with a skull fracture, severe concussion, numerous bruises and facial lacerations. It was absolutely terrifying for Kim, she had always loved Adam, that was never in doubt but it was in that moment that she knew she wanted more, that she needed more.

She needed Adam in her life and not just as Oscar's dad, she needed him because he was her person, she didn't just love him, she was head over heels in love with him.

As Adam began to recover, Jeff started to face complications and he succumbed to his injuries the day after Adam had been discharged. It was rough going for the next few weeks, Adam suffered with bouts of survivors guilt and PTSD.

Once things settled, Kim told Adam how she felt and they never looked back.

The were married just a few weeks later, and just two weeks before Oscar's third birthday they welcome their daughter into the world. She was absolutely perfect, unlike her brother she was born at full term, they named her McKenna. It was Kim's maternal grandmother's maiden name and Kim had adored her grandmother.

They ended up buying a home in a gated community, their current home wasn't big enough and they wanted a home that had a yard for the kids to play and wanted the schools to be top notch.

Five years later they welcomed sweet Paisley, she too was born at full term and was the perfect mix of Oscar and McKenna, she completed their family.

Their family was perfect but not without its fair share of drama, especially now that the kids were older there was never a dull moment. An eleven year old, eight year old, and a three year old kept them on their toes but she wouldn't change a thing about her family.

Oscar was at the kitchen table when Kim left Adam to finish getting ready, "Hey baby..." she kissed his head as he shoveled in the lucky charms, "Daddy is almost ready, he will be down soon. Are you excited?"

"Yeah" Oscar used the back of his hand to wipe his chin, "Uncle Kevin said I can shoot his long gun, that's gonna he so much fun!"

Kim cringed at the thought, "I want you to be on your best behavior Oscar, and you need to listen to daddy. Guns aren't toys."

"Mom" Oscar groaned, "I know that. You always say it."

Kim missed hearing him call her mommy, he insisted he wasn't a baby anymore, so he couldn't call her mommy or Adam daddy, it was mom and dad.

"I will keep saying it too, I'm your mom it's my job to worry." Kim went in for another kiss, she grabbed his face as he tried to dodge her and planted a big kiss on his cheek, "I love you so much my beautiful baby boy."

"Gross." He wiped her kiss off, "I'm not a baby mom. I'm almost a teenager."

"Nope. You're my baby." Kim told him, "You'll always be my baby!" She couldn't bare to think of him being a teenager, thankfully she had some time before the teen years would be upon them.

Kim grimaced when she heard the shrill screams of her daughters, they could shatter glass with their screams, she knew Adam was the reason they were screaming. He loved to rile them up and he was currently chasing them down the stairs, "Adam..."

"Daddy's a zombie, Mommy. He's trying to eat our brains" McKenna yelled as she buried herself in Kim's side.

"Good thing you don't have a brain McKenna" Oscar teased her, "You're so stupid, zombies aren't real."

"O, don't call your sister stupid." Adam corrected him, "Clean up your mess, go pee, and then we can leave."

Oscar did as he was told and returned in a flash, "I'm ready."

"Girls, daddy needs his kisses and hugs." Adam adored his girls, and they adored him, "Be good for mommy."

"I wanna go with you!" McKenna announced.

"Nope!" Oscar folded his arms in front of him, "No girls and you're not big enough anyway. You've got to be eleven and you're only eight." He wore a look of pure arrogance, he was proud that he was the only one who was old enough to go.

"Girls can shoot guns, Oscar! Mommy can shoot and she's better than daddy, right mommy?" McKenna turned to face her.

"No way! Dad is definitely better, right dad?"

"No comment" Adam replied, "Get in the truck O. I'll be right out." Adam tossed him the keys.


	7. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 2

"Hey Oscar The Grouch" Bradford Whiting brushed past Oscar as he made his way down the hall towards the cafeteria, "You're a loser."

Oscar ignored him, just as Kim had suggested. Bradford was definitely a little shit, his dad was a Fortune 500 executive and was on his third wife, a wife who was probably twenty five years younger than him.

They lived in the same gated community as Kim and Adam did, but in the more exclusive part of the development, it was the newer section and most of those homes were worth a couple million while Kim and Adam's home was worth much less, but it was a beautiful home in its own right, they joked that they lived in the 'ghetto' section of the development.

Oscar and Bradford had butted heads for awhile now, and it broke Kim's heart to see it Oscar bothered by it. Kim knew that Bradford picked on Oscar because he was jealous of him, but Oscar didn't see it that way. Bradford was spoiled rotten and had everything toy a kid could want, he had a cell phone, tablet. He had whatever he could possibly want and the things he didn't want. He was popular with the kids because of what he could buy them, he and Oscar had two mutual friends, Jimmy and Tyler.

Over the last month or so Jimmy and Tyler had started spending less and less time with Oscar and it was starting to get to Oscar. The bullying from Bradford was ramping up as well, Adam had wanted to go to the school about it but Oscar begged him not to.

It was bad enough the kids picked on Oscar because his parents were cops, and not a doctor or lawyer like most of the kids in their school. He didn't want his dad showing up at school, that would be embarrassing.

"Did you hear me, loser?" Bradford called out to him.

Oscar stopped and spun on his heels, "I heard you."

"Is your daddy gonna come arrest me?" Bradford teased, "he's a loser just like you. My dad said he's too stupid to be anything other than a cop."

"Shut up!" Oscar shouted, "Just shut up!"

It was then a teacher appeared from the cafeteria and separated the two boys. She ushered them to their lunch tables and went on with her day. Lunch duty wasn't fun and the last thing she wanted was to deal with an office referral.

Oscar didn't mention the altercation to anyone, he kept his head down the rest of the day and parked himself in his room and played video games until dinner and once that was done he picked up where he left off. He ended up playing online with Jimmy and Tyler, and for the first time in a long time it felt like it used to.

Until they brought up Bradford and how they had slept over at his house and got to see all of his dad's guns.

It had given Oscar an opening, a way he could one up Bradford.

He knew Bradford's dad collected old guns, none of them were as cool as the guns his dad used for work, or the ones he sometimes got to shoot.

"You should come over to my house, my dad will show you the guns he uses for work." Oscar explained, "ask your mom if you can come to the shooting range with us, I go all the time. My uncle Kevin comes with us. He's really cool, he's got an AR-15, I got to shoot it over the weekend. It was awesome." He adjusted his headphones, "Do you want to come over on Saturday? I'll ask my dad to take us to the range?"

"I'd have to ask my mom, but I bet she'd say yes, your dad's a cop. He would keep us safe." Tyler replied.

"My mom will say yes too!" Jimmy chimed in, " I gotta turn my Xbox off. I will see you tomorrow at school, O."

"Me too!" Tyler replied, "I'll see you at school."

Oscar was all smiles as he turned the video game off and started to watch some tv before bedtime.

"That's my seat, Paisley!" McKenna whined as she jockeyed for position at the breakfast table, Paisley had moved from a booster seat to a regular seat at the table. She still came up just a bit too short but was bound and determined to be a big girl.

"My sit here, my got it first." Paisley argued, she was a stubborn little thing and determined as hell to keep up with her older siblings.

Adam placed two bowls of cereal on the table, "McKenna find another seat, Paisley was there first." He checked his watch, "Where is your brother?" He rarely did the morning routine but Kim had to go in early to prepare for court and he was left to do the day care and school drop off.

"I'm here." Oscar announced as he finally made his way into the kitchen, "Dad, can we go to the shooting range this weekend?"

"Yeah, sure." Adam grabbed the lunch boxes from the fridge and put them in the corresponding backpack.

"Can Jimmy and Tyler sleep over and then come to the range with us? I mean if their parents say it's okay?" He clasped his hands together as if he was praying, "Please?!"

Adam thought it over for a second or two, "Yeah, sure I guess. As long as their parents are okay with it."

"Thanks dad!" Oscar hugged him.

Oscar was ridiculously hyped up for his sleepover with Jimmy and Tyler, Adam and Kim had spoken to their parents at length about going to the shooting range. They explained the safety precautions Adam would take and the weapons the boys would get to shoot. They had a few questions but nothing major and both sets of parents knew that the boys would be in good hands with Adam.

Kim had already stocked up on snacks and soda, and ordered a couple of pizzas for dinner, they moved the living room furniture around to accommodate the three boys sleeping on the floor.

Kim was taking the girls to dinner and a the movies to see the latest Disney movie, that left Adam at home to deal with the boys.

They had each brought over a nerf gun and a couple dozen foam bullets, Adam wouldn't admit it but he was excited for the nerf gun battle that would ensue. He was still very much a kid at heart.

Oscar jumped up off the couch at the sound of the doorbell, he was thrilled to see his buddies, "C'mon in! It's just my dad here my mom took the girls out so it's just boys." He had whined for a good hour the night before about the girls ruining his sleepover. He just knew McKenna wouldn't leave them alone and no one would have any fun if she was around.

It grated on Kim's nerves but she knew it to be true, McKenna loved to aggravate Oscar. Kim knew that if Oscar's buddies were over she'd step up her game. That wasn't to say Kim wasn't annoyed by the way Oscar went about things, she didn't tolerate whining and temper tantrums and Oscar was dangerously closing to throwing an epic tantrum.

She had sent him to his bedroom to calm down and discussed with Adam before talking to Oscar.

_Kim knocked on the door, "Honey, can I come in?" She always asked permission before entering her children's bedrooms, not that she needed it but she wanted to respect their privacy. _

"_Yes." Oscar grumbled, his face buried in his pillow, he knew she didn't hear him when the knocking continued so he rolled over on to his back and called out to her, "Come in." _

_Kim sat on the edge of the bed, "So, I talked to dad and we discussed it. Oscar, I don't like the way you handled this. You're eleven years old, you are capable of asking for something without the hysterics. I know McKenna and Paisley can be a lot sometimes, but they adore you. You're their big brother, they want to play with you."_

"_They're girls Mom." Oscar stated the obvious, "Annoying little girls. It's supposed to be boys night." _

_She had to laugh at his statement, it sounded a lot like Adam, "I know. That's why dad and I decided that I will take the girls out for dinner and a movie."_

_Oscar threw himself at Kim, wrapping her up in a bear hug, "Thank you mom!"_

Adam exchanged pleasantries with Tyler's dad and went over the trip to the shooting range once more.

The boys played video games until the pizza arrived and once they had inhaled that, they moved on to a nerf war.

"It's us against you, dad." Oscar handed him a gun. They had quite the selection of guns, between what Oscar had and the one the boys brought they could've armed a small country. They had what appeared to be an endless supply of ammunition, it was going to be quite the gun fight.

"That's not fair." Adam told him, "that's three against one."

"Yeah-huh. It's so fair." Tyler replied, "you're a cop, that means you are a good shooter, that's why it's fair."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." Adam chuckled, he was loving this new version of 'guys night', he loved hanging out with his son and his buddies. "Rules?"

Jimmy spoke up, "No head shots."

"No nut shuts either!" Oscar shouted, "those hurt so bad."

Adam laughed, "Smart man, gotta protect the family jewels."

"We need to make forts." Tyler told, "that we can have a safe place to reload." Tyler was the youngest of five boys, there was quite an age difference of fifteen years between the eldest and Tyler, with the nest to youngest brother, Ryan nineteen years old, "When my brother Ryan is home from college he helps me build forts in the basement he's really good at building them and he showed me how to do it"

Adam shrugged, "Sure, let's build forts!"

McKenna dunked her broccoli stalk into the cup of ranch, "Why couldn't I stay home with daddy and Oscar." She adored her brother. They got along for the most part but McKenna was intense and Oscar was often annoyed by her. She would follow him around the house and talk his ear off, Oscar was pretty good about placating her but he had his limits and McKenna often pushed him past those limits. "Oscar's mean, it's not fair that I couldn't stay home too!"

"Oscar has friends over, they wanted to have some guy time." Kim told her, "You know how Paisley can get on your nerves." She tried to explain the situation in a way McKenna would understand.

"All the time!" McKenna groaned, "she's such a baby."

"No! My not a baby! My three!" Paisley held up three fingers to hammer home her point, "my a big girl!" She moved to sit on her knees her elbows resting on the table."my a big girl!" She wanted to make sure her sister understood.

Kim reached across the table and rubbed Paisley's hand, "You're right. You are big girl, Paisley." Paisley was such a sweet little thing, she was the calmest of the three Ruzek children. Oscar was their wild child, McKenna was their drama queen, and Paisley their 'sloth' she was slower than slow, she didn't have a 'hurry up' bone in her body.

Kim continued on with her little speech, "When Amie and Jocelyn come over to play at the house you don't want Paisley playing with you, right?"

"But she's a baby!" McKenna replied, "I'm not a baby. It's not fair! I love Oscar and he doesn't love me!" She pouted.

"Oh, sweetheart.." Kim felt that statement hit her in the gut, "Sweetie, Oscar loves you. He just wanted it to be a boys night. When you tell Paisley she can't play, it's not because you don't love her, right? It's the same with Oscar. He loves you, it's just sometimes you don't want your baby sister hanging out with you and your friends. That's all. I promise you, Oscar loves you. He loves you so much!"

"I guess, it's still not fair. I wanted to stay with daddy." McKenna wasn't letting it go, "Oscar and daddy always do things together, just them. I want to do something with daddy and no one else."

"We can do that. Why don't you think about something you'd like to do with daddy and we can make a plan, how does that sound?"

"So good!" McKenna squealed in delight.

Kim checked the time, "Hurry up and finish your dinner, the movie starts in an hour." She hoped eating dinner before the movie would eliminate the need to spend a small fortune at the concession stand.

Adam was wiped the fuck out, he was too old for this shit. They had completely dismantled the living room to build forts, nerf gun bullets were scattered throughout the house and back yard. He had sent the boys outside with flashlights to collect all the darts from outside while he cleaned up the ones in the house. He had given them the easier job, they hadn't spent much time shooting outside but he hoped they end up running around the yard and burn off some more energy. He was hoping they'd tire themselves out and they'd actually get some sleep.

He was expecting Kim and the girls to come home at any moment now, he knew he needed to clean up the forts and get the duvets, pillows, and extra blankets cleaned up and the couches returned to where Kim had instructed they go before she left. She'd lose her shit if she knew he had used the 'good' blankets for the boys forts.

He was so concerned with the mess in the living room that he completely forgot about the mess in the kitchen and it was the first thing Kim saw when she walked in.

"Adam!" Kim tossed her keys on the counter and purse on the kitchen table. The pizza boxes sat on top of the stove, at least a dozen cans of soda sat on the table half of them still contained soda. It looked like a bomb had gone off, it was an absolute disaster.

He cringed at the sound of his name being called, he tossed the throw pillows on the couch before heading into the kitchen, scooping up Paisley as she tried to run by him, "Hey my girl..." he covered her cheeks with kisses, "Did you love the movie?"

McKenna answered for her sister, "She fell asleep daddy. Again!" Paisley had only gone to the movies a handful of times and had fallen asleep each time, "It was so good, lots of singing!" She grabbed a hold of Adam's free hand, "Where's Oscar and his friends?"

"Cleaning up bullets in the back yard." Adam told her, he grabbed a bucket from the kitchen island, "Do you want to clean up the ones in the house? I think I got them all but I think I might've missed some."

"Just like you missed cleaning up the kitchen.." Kim pointed out, "Here, give me Paisley. I'll put her to bed while you clean up."

"I love you, darlin'." Adam called out to her as she went upstairs.

Once Kim had the girls settled in bed she went to check on the boys, she knew Adam had sent them all to the bathroom to change into their pajamas, brush their teeth, and told them it was time to settle down. He would spend an hour or two on the couch and once he felt they had settled down enough to fall asleep he'd head up to bed.

She knew he had gone over the ground rules but she wanted to go over them once more, "Alright boys, it's quiet time now. The girls are sleeping, so you three need to be quiet. It's late and you've got a big day tomorrow. Adam will hang out down here for a little bit and once he comes up to bed I expect you three to behave. You can watch tv but it needs to go off at midnight. No more snacks or sugary drinks. Here are three bottles of water, one for each of you. No video games, no iPads. The tv is to be turned off at midnight." She reminded them of their 'bedtime' "I will leave the hallway bathroom light on, make it easier to find. Please be quiet. If you need anything come upstairs and knock on the door, I'm a light sleeper."

"We know mom." Oscar whined. "We will be good and we won't have any fun." He rolled his eyes, "You're no fun at all."

"Hey, I am fun. Just not when it's almost bedtime." Kim defended herself, "Alright, I love you baby..." Kim leaned down to kiss Oscar.

"Mom!" He pulled the sleeping bag over his head, "you're embarrassing me!" He grumbled.

"Sorry." Kim rolled her eyes, "Good night boys."

Adam had dozed off on the couch and woke up to find the boys sleeping soundly, he turned the television off and headed up to bed.

"You're up?" Adam found Kim reading in bed, "How was your night?"

"It was nice. The movie was sweet." Kim told him, "McKenna was bummed she couldn't stay home with you and Oscar. She didn't think it was fair, she says that Oscar always gets to do fun things with you and she doesn't."

"Ouch." Adam grimaced. "I hate that."

"Me too." Kim closed her book and put it on the nightstand, "That's why I told her to think about something fun she'd like to do with you and I'd make it happen."

"I'd like that. Though I'm a little frightened as to what she'd want to do. I'm not doing anything girlie." Adam shuddered at the thought.

Kim watched as Adam went about his nighttime routine, she liked to tease him about the amount of time and effort he put into his beard, he was really proud of it. "You lie, you'll do whatever she asks of you, you're incapable of telling her and Paisley no."

"What can I say, I'm in love with my girls. I will do whatever I can to make them happy." Adam climbed into bed, "just like I'd do anything to make their mom happy."

"I know." She rolled into his side, "I love the way you love our children. I love that you'd do anything for our kids."

"I do anything for you as well, I would do anything if it meant you were happy..." Adam ran his hand down the small of her back and brought it rest on her hip, "...anything at all.." his hand started to travel further south.

"Not happening Adam." Kim knew where he was going and she slammed on the brakes, "We"re not having sex, not when we have three boys sleeping downstairs."

Adam groaned but didn't give up, "Baby, they're downstairs. They won't know. We can lock the door if you're worried."

"Go to sleep Adam, it's not happening." Kim craned her neck upward so she could kiss him lightly on the lips before rolling over.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Kim? You're no fun sometimes." He teased, "we have sex all the time when the kids are sleeping."

"Yes we do. We have sex when our kids are sleeping. We have other people's kids here." She explained, "the last thing I need is Jimmy or Tyler knocking on our door while we're knocking boots." The thought of one of the boys interrupting them was mortifying "Oscar also said I was no fun"

"He's not wrong." Adam pulled her against his chest, "Lucky I love you anyway. Good night darlin'"

"I love you too."


	8. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 3

"Shit!" Adam muttered as he reached blindly for his phone that sat on the nightstand, cracking his hand against the corner of it.

"Adam?" Kim groggily turned over to face his side of the bed, "is it the boys?"

"No, darlin', it's work." Adam replied, "go back to sleep." He was already up and getting dressed, "I have to go in, we caught a case."

"What time is it?" Kim sat up in bed.

"Two twenty." Adam told her, "I'll call in a little bit, go back to sleep."

"Do I need to come in?" Kim asked. If they caught a case in the middle of the night there was an unspoken understanding that Kim wouldn't come in right away, if at all. She would often work the case from home or come in later after leaving the kids with a sitter.

"I don't know." Adam leaned across the bed to kiss her, "Go back to sleep. I'll call in a few hours."

"Be careful Adam." Kim told him, it didn't take long for her to fall back to sleep and was out before Adam made it downstairs.

After stopping in the girls rooms to kiss them goodbye, Adam tiptoed through the living room, the boys sound asleep. He went to where Oscar was sleeping and kneeled down to kiss his head, "I love you O." He whispered. He never left without kissing the kids goodbye, he was all to aware of the fact that there was a strong chance of never coming home.

McKenna was ridiculously quiet as she tiptoed down the stairs, her favorite baby doll tucked under her arm. She had a plan and nothing would get in her way, she knew where Oscar left his nerf gun and bullets. She traded the baby doll for a gun, she loaded it full of bullets and unleashed on the sleeping boys.

"Stop!" Oscar was the first victim, he frantically kicked his legs to untangle himself from the sleeping bag, "Quit McKenna! That's mine put it down."

She laughed maniacally as she sprayed the boys with foam bullets. McKenna had made a serious miscalculation and once she realized what she had done she dropped the gun. She looked on in horror as her favorite baby doll was tossed around the room.

"Stop throwing her!" McKenna screamed. "you're going to break her!" She ran around trying to intercept each throw, but the boys kept tossing it. They managed to keep it just out of her reach, she was trapped in a game of monkey in the middle.

She was hysterical, "Stop Oscar, stop!" She wailed, pleading with her brother but he wasn't budging. "I'm telling mommy!"

Kim woke up to the sound of chaos, she could hear McKenna crying and raucous laughter, she had a fair idea of what was going on.

She charged downstairs, "Oscar, that's enough!" She was stern, "give the doll to your sister, right now." She was furious, "I will not allow you to tease McKenna."

"She started it!" Oscar pointed to her, "she started shooting us, we were still sleeping and she shot us! She got me in the head! It hurt!" His face was bright red and he was close to tears. "She wouldn't stop!"

Kim ran her hands over her face in frustration, "McKenna, did you do that?" It wasn't that she didn't believe Oscar, but rather she wanted to give McKenna the chance to own up to it.

"Yes" McKenna replied meekly, "I did."

"Go to your room. I'll be up in a minute to talk to you." Kim handed her the doll, "You're okay now, come on, calm down." She gave her a quick hug before sending her own her way.

"Oscar, come in the kitchen. We need to talk." She pointed towards the kitchen, she didn't want to do it front of his friends. She wasn't pleased that Oscar allowed his friends to pick on his sister. It didn't matter what McKenna had done to them, Oscar never should've allowed the other boys to tease her.

Oscar had his arms folded, "She started it!" He was repeating himself over and over again, "She shot us!"

"Stop. Just stop talking and listen." Kim wagged a finger at him, "I get it, I imagine it wasn't a nice way to wake up. I will talk to McKenna about it. I do not like that you allowed Jimmy and Tyler to tease your little sister. That's not how our family works, we protect each other. You're supposed to look out for your sister, you protect her from bullies. You don't stand back and watch it happen. I know you're friends aren't bullies, but they were teasing her!"

"But..."

"No buts, Oscar. I mean it. I'm disappointed with your choices, I want you to apologize to McKenna." Kim placed her hand on his shoulder, "I know she can be a bit much sometimes but she loves you and I think she just wanted to play with you. It doesn't make what she did right but maybe you can understand where she is coming from."

Oscar shrugged, "I guess." He kind of understood but he still didn't think it was cool, "Is dad up yet?"

"He was called into work." Kim told him, she watched as the color drained from Oscar's face, "I know you guys planned on going to the shooting range today, I need you to be prepared for it not to happen.

"Dad said he would take us." Oscar replied, "He told us last night we would go. He even said Uncle Kevin might come!"

"I know honey. You know that dad can't help it," Kim wrapped her arm around him, "It's not a definite that you're not going, we just need to be prepared. That's all." She released her hold on him, "Cheer up buttercup. I'm going to make breakfast, French toast and bacon, sound good?"

"I guess."

Adam knew he was in it for the long haul, he had hoped he could sneak away but that wasn't possible. He couldn't bring himself to talk to Oscar so he sent a text message instead.

_Can you let O know I'm stuck at work, I won't be able to get away. Tell him I'm sorry._

It was the cowards way out for sure but he couldn't bare to hear the disappointment in Oscar's voice, times like this made him hate his job.

Kim had just finished cleaning up the mess from breakfast when her phone dinged alerting her to a text message.

She knew exactly what it would say before she even touched her phone, Adam would be texting to let Oscar know he had to cancel their plans.

Kim fired off a snarky reply.

_Thanks for making me the bad guy, Adam. You couldn't call and tell him yourself? _

She tossed her phone on the counter and took a few deep breaths before talking to Oscar. She knew she shouldn't be angry with Adam, he had no control over work but she was pissed that he had sent a text and left her to be the bearer of bad news.

The boys were playing video games and discussing their plans for the day, this was going to suck. There was no easy way to do it, so she just started talking.

"Boys, can you pause the game?" Kim pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth, "Oscar, dad just texted. He's stuck at work, he is really sorry but he can't take you and the boys to the range today."

Oscar threw his controller down violently causing the back of it to go flying across the room along with the batteries, "I hate him!" Oscar screamed, Jimmy and Tyler looked on in shock at their friend's outburst.

Kim took a deep breath before speaking, she knew how disappointed Oscar was but refused to tolerate his temper tantrum, "Oscar, pick up the controller right now." She waited for hm to do as she asked and when he refused to do as she asked her tone grew stern, "Oscar Adam Burgess-Ruzek, do as I said."

"Fine." Oscar got up and did as he mother said, he slipped the batteries back in the remote and replaced the cover before returning to the couch to continue playing.

"Jimmy, Tyler, why don't you go into to the kitchen and call your parents and let them know plans changed. See if they can come pick you up or if I need to bring you home. Oscar needs some time alone." Kim explained.

Oscar sat stone faced, "I hate him!"

Kim held her hand up to silence him, "Oscar, stop it! You don't hate your dad, I don't want you to ever say that, do you understand? You're disappointed, and angry with your dad and that's okay. It's okay to feel that way but it's not okay to throw things or say hurtful things. You're really not angry with your dad, it's the job you're angry with. I get it. I get our job is rough on you and your sisters. Your dad and I don't work normal hours and sometimes you have to take a backseat to the job."

"It sucks!" Oscar yelled, "It sucks balls!"

"Yes. Yes it does." Kim agreed with him, "Your dad is disappointed too, he was really excited to take you and your buddies to the shooting range. He hates that he's disappointed you, but Oscar he has no control over work. You know this."

Oscar picked at the thread on the arm of the couch, "I know." He was desperately trying not to cry, "...it's not fair, daddy said we'd go..."

Kim knew Oscar was struggling, he never referred to Adam as _daddy_ anymore and it broke her heart that he was so upset, "Honey, I'm sorry." She watched as his face crumpled and he burst into tears, she pulled him into a hug and held on tightly as he sobbed.

"Ummm..." Tyler spoke up as he stood in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, "my mom is on her way to pick us up."

Oscar jumped up out of Kim's arms and wiped his face furiously hoping that his buddies didn't know he was crying, "I gotta go pee." He was desperate to get away.

Jimmy looked at Kim, "Is Oscar okay? Is he in trouble?"

"Oscar's fine, sweetie. Why don't you guys pack up your things. Tyler's mom will be here shortly."

The day had gone from bad to worse, once the boys had left Oscar was miserable and was taking his disappointment out on his sisters. Kim had tried to lift his spirits by taking them out to lunch but it only seemed to anger Oscar.

He picked on McKenna unmercifully and didn't stop until he made her cry. Once the tears started Oscar stopped and Kim hoped that would be the end of it but it only made him more of a sour puss. He was clearly feeling guilty for picking on his sister but didn't know how to work through what he was feeling.

Kim had thought that maybe if she and the kids stopped by the district to drop off dinner for Adam that it would brighten everyone's mood.

"All right, everyone get your shoes on, we're gonna go bring daddy some dinner." Kim has just received a text from Adam and knew he was at his desk would he for the foreseeable future.

"Daddy!" Paisley squealed, "Go see daddy!"

McKenna was ready and raring to go, "Hurry up Oscar!" She wasn't pleased with her brother's laziness, "Hurry!" She tried to pull him off the couch to no avail.

"Let go of me!" Oscar wasn't budging, "I don't wanna go. I'll stay home." He ignored her as she continued to beg him to get up.

"Uh, no." Kim told him, she grabbed his sneakers from the foyer and handed them to him, "Shake a leg buddy, you're coming."

"Fine." Oscar snatched them from her, he tried to force his feet into them without untying them and failed miserably.

"Seriously? Unite them son." Kim was losing her patience with him, "There's no sense stalling, you're not staying home."

Oscar sat hunched over in the passenger seat, he was wearing a Cubs hat and he pulled it down as far as he could, he was in a shit mood there was no denying that. Kim sympathized with and understood his disappointment but his woe is me attitude was a bit over the top. It wasn't like Adam had blown him off to go hang out with his buddies, he had been called into work. It was out of his control and Oscar was old enough to to understand, the pouting needed to stop.

"Daddy's work!" Paisley called out as soon as they pulled into the back parking lot, she had recently learned how to unbuckle herself and as soon as the car was turned off she was unbuckled. "I need help mommy." She sat in her seat waiting for Kim to help her out, she could unbuckle herself but knew she couldn't open her door.

"Oscar, lets go."

"I'll wait in the car." He told her, "I don't want to go in."

"You can't stay in the car." Kim told as she helped the girls out. "It's not safe."

Oscar laughed, "Yes it is. It's the safest place in the city." He was quick to remind her of where they were, "it's the police department parking lot, it's safe."

"I don't care where we are Oscar." Kim opened his car door, "you're not staying in the car. I need you to get out. Now." She folded her arms, "Out."

"I'll wait." He knew he still had some wiggle room to mouth off but he knew he'd have to comply with her soon.

Kim snapped, "Get out of the damn car, Oscar. Now!" Her patience was gone, she rarely raised her voice at the kids but he had pushed her too far and she was done. She balanced the box of burgers they had picked up while she waited for Oscar to get his ass in gear.

He knew he had pushed her far enough, if he didn't do as she asked he would be punished and he could kiss his video games good bye. "Fine!" Oscar relented and did as she asked.

They always went in through the back door, the front of the distract was always busy and toss in the vehicle traffic, it just made sense to use the back door.

The girls went to the front desk to find one of their favorite people, Kim could hear their screams when they found her. What was funny was that it wasn't just McKenna and Paisley screaming, Trudy Platt had joined in.

Kim laughed as the girls threw themselves at Trudy. Trudy had been so supportive when Oscar was born, Trudy and Kim had become extremely close over the years.

Trudy loved the girls unconditionally, she absolutely adored them but the bond between her and Oscar was different, and she would always have a soft spot for Oscar. Trudy played a huge role in Oscar's early life, she was always their for Kim and Adam whenever they needed anything.

Oscar absolutely adored her, at least once a month he would spend the night with Trudy and Mouch, he was spoiled rotten. It was a bit like going to grandma and grandpa's house, rarely did they tell him no, there was always a surprise waiting for him and tons of tears once Kim or Adam went to pick him up.

The last year or so Oscar decided he was too old for sleepovers with Trudy, he would rather hang out at home and leave the sleepovers to his sisters. Trudy tried to act cool with Oscar's decision, but Kim knew it had broken her heart just a little bit.

Kim and Oscar finally made it into the lobby, "There's my boy." Trudy held her arms open for Oscar only for Oscar to blow off the hug. Trudy's role in the department had changed, she had given up the title of desk sergeant and had a role that was a bit more secretarial in nature but no one dared to point that out to her.

McKenna didn't waste anytime, "Oscar is being a grouch again. Mommy yelled at him." She had seriously loose lips and secrets weren't safe with her.

"Shut up, McKenna!" Oscar growled, he shoved her and knocked her off balance a bit.

"Oscar!" Kim scolded him, "Do not push your sister." She then turned to McKenna, "That was uncalled for, apologize to Oscar."

"Why? He pushed me!" McKenna didn't understand why she was the one in trouble, he had pushed her and for no reason. He had gotten in trouble and he was being a grouch. "I didn't say anything wrong!" She had just stated the truth.

"My want daddy!" Paisley whined as she tugged on Kim's hand.

Trudy stepped away from the desk, "Why don't you head upstairs." She had enough of the Burgess-Ruzek drama for one night.

"Trying to get rid of us?" Kim asked, "I see how it is." She didn't blame her, Oscar was miserable, McKenna was pushing his buttons. It had been a rough day for everyone.

Trudy smirked at her, "The drama is strong tonight."

"Daddy?" Paisley called out as they filed upstairs, "Daddy! My here. Paisley Burgess-Zek!" It was absolutely adorable to hear Paisley attempt to say her last name.

When Oscar was born Kim and Adam agreed to hyphenate their last names, they weren't sure what the future held for them and decided that Oscar would carry both of their last names. As their relationship evolved and they got married they saw no reason to change Oscar's last name. Kim would use Burgess at work and Oscar was used to his name as it was, it was best to leave it as is.

Paisley could say Burgess with relative ease, it was the Ruzek portion that tripped her up.

"Daddy knows who you are Paisley!" McKenna rolled her eyes at her sister. The eye rolling was a recent development and it was full of sass and it was definitely cringeworthy for Kim. She feared the teenage years, they would have their hands full with McKenna.

"My girls!" Adam as pleasantly surprised to see his family come up the stairs, "My lady.." Adam kissed McKenna's forehead before picking Paisley up, "Dinner?" He pointed to the box of food.

"For daddy, Uncle Kebin, Jay, Hankie, Nessa..." Paisley announced.

"Hey! What about me?" Hailey asked, she stood in front of Paisley and tickled her side, "is there one for me?"

Paisley thought for a minute, "Yes!" She reached inside the box and pulled one out, "My forgot you."

"Thanks sweet girl."

"Yes!" Kevin jumped up and grabbed a burger and fries from the box, "What's up little homie? I need to get you a new hat. This one is nasty. You need a Sox hat." He flicked bill of Oscar's Cubs cap.

Oscar shrugged him off, "Can I go to the vending machines?" He had gone all in on the pissed off mood and he refused to engage with anyone, not even Kevin.

"You're not going to say hi to everyone?" Kim asked him.

"Hi everyone" he waved his hand around, "Can I go?"

"Go" Kim waved him off. She was over it.

"He okay?" Kevin asked as he sat at his desk, "He didn't give me any lip about the Sox." He and Oscar shared a love of baseball, Adam didn't care much for sports but when Oscar showed a love for the game, Adam tried. He loved to watch Oscar play but aside from that he didn't care much. Kevin had really taken over in that department, he had taken him to many games and was heartbroken when Oscar chose the Cubs over Kevin's beloved White Sox.

Oscar was four or five years old when he declared that he wasn't a Sox fan but a Cubs fan, he had been very matter of fact about it.

_They're better cause they're blue._

As Oscar grew so did his love for the Cubs and despite their different allegiances, Kevin and Oscar bonded over their love of baseball.

"He's grouchy!" McKenna seemed overjoyed by her brother's shitty mood and it was beginning to annoy Kim. "He's mad cause daddy couldn't take him and his stupid friends to the shooting range"

Today was the kind of day no one warned you about when you had children. It was hard enough to see your kid disappointed and it only add salt to the wound when you were the reason for the disappointment. Toss in some serious sibling rivalry and it could get down right ugly, Kim was over it. She was exhausted and decided the kids would have an early bed time tonight and she'd have a glass of wine and a nice relaxing bath.

Kim saw Adam dip his head at McKenna's announcement, "Enough McKenna. Why don't you and Paisley go sit at my desk and color." She kept a stack of coloring books, markers, and other items to occupy the kids for a bit.

It was rare but occasionally Trudy would have to pick the kids up from school and bring them to Adam if Kim was stuck in court. It wasn't ideal but it worked for them and it was rare that it actually happened and the kids viewed it as a treat.

The girls did as they were told and Kim pulled Adam aside, "It's not your fault." She placed her hand on his hip.

"I feel like shit." Adam sat on the edge of his desk, "He's mad?"

"He's being an asshole." Kim didn't mince her words. "He's disappointed, I get it. I just don't like the way he's handling it. He and McKenna have been at it all day, Paisley is the only one I really like at the moment."

"Shit, I'm sorry." He stood up and pulled her into his arms, "I hate that you have to deal with it."

Oscar brought his loot to the break room, he had purchased a chocolate bar and a soda. He knew where Trudy stashed her 'candy money' and knew that he could dip into it whenever he wanted something from the machines.

He was starting to feel bad about the way he had treated his mom, it wasn't her fault and he shouldn't have been so mean to her or McKenna. He just hated that his dad had to work and that the boys went home.

"Hey..can I come in?" Kevin stood in the doorway, "is it safe?"

Oscar didn't say anything but shrugged his shoulders in response and Kevin sat down next to him on the couch.

"I never saw my pops much when I was your age, he was a bad dude and spent a lot of time in jail. I hated him. I got into a lot of trouble, I had a chip on my shoulder. My moms, she loved me and she did the best she could but it was hard for her. Then she had my baby brother and sister and I had to grow up. I needed to do the right thing." Kevin rambled on, he didn't know where the conversation would go but he wanted to give Oscar some perspective. "It sucks man. When your dad tells you he's gonna take you somewhere and he bails. My pops did that a lot before he went away."

Oscar finally looked at Kevin, "Your pops was in jail? How can you be a cop then?" He was confused.

"Easy. I'm not my dad. I was allowed to be on the job because I made the right choices." Kevin explained, "I'm not telling you how to feel, little man. I just think maybe you know you could cut your dad some slack. He hated letting you down today."

"It sucks, Uncle Kev."

"Damn right it does." He grabbed Oscar by the back of the neck, "Popping off at the mouth or giving your parents a hard time isn't the way to handle it O."

"My mom tell you what I said?" Oscar asked him.

"Nah, I could tell you were pissed off. You were heated, I know you man. You're just like your old man, if you get quiet you're pissed off."

Oscar nodded his head, relieved that Kevin didn't know what he had said, "I'm mad at my dad. He made a promise, Uncle Kevin. You're not supposed to make a promise if you can't keep it."

Kevin sucked his teeth, "O, you know your dad..."

Oscar jumped up off the couch, "No! You don't make a promise if you can't keep it. A promise can't be broken. Dad broke his promise!"

Kevin held his hands up, "Calm down little man. You need to talk to your dad about this."

"No I don't." Oscar rolled his eyes, "I don't need to talk to him about it. He promised me and then he broke his promise. That's what happened. I don't want to talk about it with him or you!" Oscar huffed, "I want to go home!"

"Can we go now?" Oscar stormed back into the bullpen, "I'm tired." He ignored Adam completely and refused to look in his directions.

Adam put Paisley down and approached Oscar, "Let's go son. I want to talk to you." Adam attempted to place his hand on Oscar's shoulder only for the little guy to shake him off, "Come on."

Oscar followed his dad down the corridor, "I want you to know that I didn't want to cancel today. This case is a tough one and I needed to be here." Adam explained, "I couldn't leave the team, we need to solve this one. I promise as soon as we solve it, I will take you and your buddies to the range."

Adam was met with silence, "Oscar?" He waited a second or two and then called his name again and was given nothing. "Son, you can ignore me all you want but that won't change what happened. I had to work, you need to realize that and accept it. You're not a little kid anymore you're old enough to understand the situation." He could see his son begin to tear up, "You need to get over it, Oscar."

Oscar bit his bottom lip to keep from crying, and folded his arms across his chest. He didn't budge from where he stood.

"Where's Oscar?" Kim asked Adam when he returned to the bullpen alone.

"He's waiting in the hallway, he's pouting. It's ridiculous." Adam grabbed Kim's purse off her desk, "Come on I'll walk you ladies out."

Kim told the girls to say their goodbyes and then headed out.

Trudy was packing up for the day and watched as Kim and Adam loaded the girls into the car, she was so damn proud of them, they were fantastic parents and had a rock solid marriage. She had never envisioned this when she learned Kim was pregnant with Oscar. She was almost certain it would all end in heartbreak.

She had tried to coax a hug out of Oscar when she found him rummaging in her change drawer but was shot down a second time. He had really grown up over the last year or so, he was always hugging on her when he was younger but he had recently decided he was far to cool to hug.

She watched as Adam went to Oscar's car door and leaned in, only for Oscar to turn away from him, she couldn't hear what was being said but judging by Adam's body language it wasn't good.

Kim was growing aggravated by Adam and when he told Oscar to stop _behaving like a little shit,_ she had enough.

"Guys, sit tight I need to talk to your dad for just a minute." Kim pointed to the breezeway between the back door and the patrol car parking garage. "we will be right there"

"What?" Adam knew she was angry but wasn't sure why.

"What the hell Adam! He's not a little shit! He's heartbroken and disappointed, and now you've told him he's a little shit!" She spoke through a clenched jaw, the last thing she wanted was their conversation to end up on the gossip train that was the Chicago Police Department.

"Hold up" Adam stood in a defensive posture his hands on his hips, "You said he was an asshole! I think what I said was a lot better than that. I said he was _behaving_ like a little shit not that he _was_ one. There's a difference."

"Yes. I said he was an asshole, but I said it to you! Not him. Jesus Adam, don't you get it, he's upset!"

"I do understand that Kim, but I'm working. He knows that, it's happened before. He can't behave like this whenever he doesn't get his way!"

Kim had enough, "That's not what this is about! You know what?"

"I don't know but I'm sure you'll tell me...right?" Adam went back at her.

Kim waved her hand around dismissively, "Never mind."

"No don't do that. Tell me."

"You were a coward Adam, you didn't have the balls to call Oscar, instead you sent a text and had me be the one who had to tell him." She was pissed now, "I guess I know where Oscar gets his penchant for being as asshole from..."

Trudy couldn't stand to listen to it anymore, "Ruzek, You're needed upstairs." She announced, she hadn't heard from anyone that Adam was needed but she needed to end the conversation he was having with Kim.

Adam groaned, "Okay." He turned to Kim, "I love you." He kissed her cheek.

"I love you too," Kim replied, she didn't like him much at the moment but she did love him, "Be safe."

Adam and Trudy watched as Kim drove off.

"Adam, that little boy thinks you hung the moon. He's disappointed that his plans were cancelled because of work. You of all people should know what that's like. It happens in our line of work."

"I know." Adam did remember being a little kid and having his dad having to bail on him because of work. It was something his mother loved to throw in his dad's face and Adam hated it.

"Be patient with him. He's eleven years old and he wants you to think he's a tough guy but he's still just a little boy."

"Did you hear all of it?" Adam asked her.

"I heard enough." Trudy replied, "when will you and your wife learn that your voices really carry? You're so loud." She shook her head to emphasis her point, "and you wonder why your children are so loud." She clapped him on the back, "Have a good night, Adam."

"You too, Sarge."

It was late when he finally crawled into bed, he curled into Kim's side, she grabbed his hand and tucked it under her chin. She was a super light sleeper and woke the second she heard the creak of their bedroom door, "you're home.."

"I am." Adam whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Kim hated that they had gotten into it.

"I'll talk to O in the morning, I'll make it right." Adam told her.

"I know you will."

**I'm so sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, I had it finished and then wanted to add some things and ended up getting stuck. It's been a bit of a nightmare, but at least the chapter is done. Right?**

**I'm not overly happy with it, but It's as good as it's gonna get.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 4

Sunday night had arrived and Oscar was miserable, it had been a weekend of disappointment. It wasn't the first time his father had to cancel plans with him, but it was the first time it had happened when his buddies were supposed to go with him. It didn't help matters that they had seen Oscar cry, it had been an emotional day for her sweet boy.

Oscar, Jimmy, and Tyler had been friends since they were in kindergarten, they had all been in the same class and bonded quickly. If you saw one of the boys the other two weren't far behind, they had played on the same sports teams, they did everything together. The three sets of parents hoped the boys would stay close throughout their lives.

Their friendship had changed when Bradford came into the picture, he and Oscar butted heads over everything. Bradford was a spoiled little shit, he quickly used his affluence to his advantage and it wasn't long before Oscar was the odd man out.

It wasn't like they hadn't tried to get Bradford and Oscar to get along, Kim had all of them over for a bbq in hopes that it would push things along. It had been an epic fail, Adam and Bradford's dad Theo didn't get along either and it was a tense night. The man was a classic one upper and it was obvious where Bradford got his attitude from.

Adam had gone toe to toe with Theo at various points through the night, he'd make a claim and Adam would call him out, the others would just roll their eyes and not give the comment or story a further thought.

Oscar was just like Adam in that respect, he'd call Bradford out and eventually the two of them stopped hanging out, and over time Bradford, Tyler, and Jimmy became thick as thieves and Oscar was on the outside looking in.

Kim hated it for Oscar, but she knew it was a part of growing up and did her best to let Oscar handle it. Oscar had made it clear to both her and Adam that he didn't want them to do anything about it, he had it under control.

It was much harder for Kim than it was Adam, it absolutely broke her heart to see Oscar being left out.

Kim was surprised when Oscar joined her on the couch pressed himself into her side, she wrapped her arm around him and pulled him even closer, she kissed his head "Are you okay? It's been a long time since you wanted to cuddle."

He shrugged, "I'm fine." He couldn't stand playing fortnight with the boys anymore he was over hearing about Bradford and all the fun things they got to do at his house earlier.

"Are you sure?" Kim grabbed the television remote and turned the volume down, "You know your dad feels really bad about yesterday. He hated that he had to cancel."

Oscar ignored her comment and reached for the remote, he started scanning through the channels, he didn't leave it on one channel for more than thirty seconds or so. It was obnoxious, and it was so very Adam like that she couldn't help but smile, despite her annoyance.

She did find it weird that he was hanging with her, he still had an hour of video games left before he had to shut it down for the night. They were strict with video games on school nights and he always whined about it, "Hey, Oscar, honey. Why aren't you playing video games? Are the boys not playing?"

"I dunno. It's boring I guess". He neglected to tell her that they were giving him a hard time for his dad bailing on their plans. He tried to defend his dad and that was when he had heard Bradford in the background and he knew it was pointless. He tried to just ignore Bradford but he then started calling him names, then Jimmy and Tyler followed suit. They started killing Oscar's character and destroying anything he had constructed in the world they were playing in. He had ripped his headphones off and tossed them on the bed and kept playing, after a few minutes they kicked him out of the world and blocked him from rejoining it.

"Boring?" Kim was perplexed, "Are you sick?" She teased him but she was beginning to think something was up, "O?"

"What?"

"What's wrong?" Kim turned away from him, she looked him head on. She used the back of her hand to check if he was feverish, "You feel okay, yeah? You're not feeling sick are you?"

"No." He replied, "do you think we could watch a movie? You and me?" He felt really bad about the way he treated his mom but couldn't bring himself to admit it.

"We can absolutely watch a movie, how about once the girls are in bed. I'll even let you pick." Kim hoped to coax a smile out of him, "I'll even watch one of those superhero movies you watch with dad." She loathed those movies.

"Is dad coming home tonight?" Oscar asked her. He hadn't seen his dad since they dropped dinner off at the district. He knew his dad had come into his bedroom to check in on him when he came home and again when he left for the day. He had been sleeping so he didn't have to talk to him, and he was happy about that, he didn't like it that his dad called him a bad word.

"At some point I hope so, they're working a hard case so I don't really know. Why?" Out of all the kids, Oscar was the only one who was old enough to understand the dangers Adam faced and he worried about him constantly. McKenna was beginning to understand it all but she still viewed her daddy as invincible, Paisley was absolutely clueless.

"I was just wondering. That's all." Oscar shuffled around on the couch, "Do you think I could sleep in your room. With you?" The weekend had knocked him on his ass and he was seeking the safety and comfort he found in Kim's arms.

"Oscar, honey. I don't know." She palmed his cheek, "Your dad will be home at some point, and you've got school tomorrow."

"Forget it." Oscar told her, "it was stupid."

"No." She grabbed his wrist as he tried to get up from the couch, "It wasn't stupid. Honey, I would love to snuggle up with you. It's just it's Sunday night, and you've got school tomorrow. Your dad is loud when he comes home from work and I don't want him to wake you up. You understand that, right?" He was in a weird place, he was straddling the thin line that separated being a little kid and a preteen.

"Oscar, are you okay?" She asked him again, her maternal instincts where heightened and she questioned him again, "Did something happen to upset you? Something more than dad having to cancel plans?"

"No. Just forget it. I'm gonna go play video games." Oscar played it cool, he trudged upstairs and went to lay down.

Kim barely had a second to process the conversation she and Oscar had when Paisley came charging out of McKenna's room in tears.

"Mommy! Kenna mean!" Paisley sobbed.

"What happened?" Kim picked her up and headed for McKenna's room.

McKenna sat on the floor surrounded by her collection of LOL dolls and she was clearly agitated, "She mixed them up! All of them!" McKenna yelled, "I had them perfect and she ruined them!"

Kim detested those dolls but McKenna loved them and it seemed Paisley was well on her way to loving them as well. Adam insisted on buying a couple every time he ran across them in a store.

"I'm sure they're not ruined, sweetie. You're meant to mix up their outfits and accessories." She was always finding pieces of them throughout the house.

"Daddy helped me dress them and Paisley ruined it!" McKenna was now the one crying.

It had been a weekend of tears and Kim was over it, "You know what? I think tonight is going to be an early one. You need to clean up and come downstairs, we will have dinner shortly and then it's bath and bed."

"It's still sunny!" McKenna told her.

"It won't be sunny for long. Now shake a leg and get it cleaned up. Paisley you need to help your sister."

"Oscar!" Kim called from the bottom of the stairs, the girls were at the kitchen table nearly finished eating their dinner and Oscar had yet to come down.

Kim gave up on calling him and went upstairs, she knocked lightly on his door and waited for a response, she knocked once more before walking in and finding him sleeping soundly in bed.

She didn't bother waking him, she feared if she woke him up he'd be up all night. She adjusted the blankets around him, and turned off the television. She watched him sleep for a bit, she couldn't help but think back on events surrounding his entrance into the world. He had thrown both her and Adam for a loop and they really struggled for a bit but he had brought out the very best in both of them.

Most of the time she struggled to see the little boy that still lived within him, it was often hidden by swagger. He was a lot like his dad in that respect, he wanted the world to think he was brimming with confidence and that nothing bothered him, but it was a bit of false bravado.

Kim knew the weekend had been a massive disappointment for Oscar, and she hoped that the upcoming week would be better for him.

_**I feel like I'm always apologizing for the length of time between chapters, but I'm kind of struggling with wrapping this one up. I'm trying to have the next chapter completed before I post. Chapter 5 is giving me some difficulty but I don't want to hold this chapter hostage any longer.**_

_**Please be patient as I try to finish it up, I hope by taking my time the chapter will be the best it can be. **_

_**As always thanks for reading and reviewing! **_


	10. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 5

Adam knew he needed to make amends with his son. He had let Oscar down in a big way, he didn't care that it was work related, and he had no control over the situation and on some level Oscar knew that. It didn't change the fact that Oscar was heartbroken over it.

Letting his kids down always hurt, but this time it stung a bit more than usual.

He hadn't seen much of the kids the last few days but he had witnessed enough to know that Oscar was down in the dumps. Rarely was Oscar ever in a pissy mood, he was very much go with the flow and seemed to take it all in stride.

To see him still moping around was painful.

Adam had already discussed his plan with Kim, and they both thought it was a good idea. Their son was a phenomenal student and it wouldn't adversely affect him if he missed an hour or two of school.

He could hear Oscar slurping his cereal from the living room, and he made a beeline for the kitchen, "Stop. Don't eat anymore." He motioned to the bowl of cereal Oscar was attacking as if he hadn't eaten in years,

Oscar spoke through a mouthful of fruit loops, "Why?"

Adam leaned on the island, "I'm taking you to breakfast."

Oscar looked at the clock to his right, "We don't have time, I'll be late." He told him. "It's challenge day." Oscar had been placed in 'challenge' in second grade. They had been dealing with some behavioral issues at school, he was constantly getting in trouble for disrupting the class. When they looked a little deeper they discovered that he was finishing his class work before his classmates and was bored. "I don't want to be late."

The school's guidance counselor suggested he be tested for the program, and his teacher at the time agreed and he scored ridiculously high and he qualified for the district's gifted and talented program. They called it 'Challenge' as it's goal was to challenge the students and Oscar thrived.

It was only once a week and he loved every second of it until Bradford was also placed in the program. The start of the school year had been rough, but they soon realized that the challenge teachers didn't put up with much and they would remove a child from the program if their behavior wasn't up to par.

It was enough motivation to keep Oscar on task, he'd tell anyone that listened that the challenge program was the best and they had the best field trips. He did what he needed to do to remain in the program.

Adam stood up, "Let me worry about that. C'mon grab your backpack, let's go." He wanted to get out without McKenna seeing them leave. She'd want in and it would kill him to tell her no, he needed to talk to Oscar without distractions.

Oscar shrugged, "Okay." Food was a fantastic motivator for Oscar and the lure of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon was far too appealing. He was still kind of mad at his dad, but he wouldn't turn food down.

Adam was thankful they had made it out of the house with McKenna none the wiser, she'd find out soon enough and she'd make sure she had her own her breakfast with him at some point.

Adam watched as Oscar read the menu, it didn't matter that Oscar already knew what he was going to order he was going to read the menu from cover to cover. It was what he did, Oscar was a bit of a quirky kid, Kim often said he reminded her of herself as a child.

Oscar looked exactly like Adam, had similar mannerisms and was just as laid back as his father but had Kim's love of school and learning, Adam was a marginal student at best. Adam did the bare minimum in school and Kim excelled and was always among the top of her class.

"O, buddy," Adam tapped the table, "Why are you reading that? You know what you want." The kid was voracious reader, when Adam was his age the only thing he ever read was the back of a cereal box and even that was a bit of a chore.

Oscar shrugged, "I dunno. I like to. There might be something new." He kept his eyes focused on the menu.

Adam chuckled, "You'd order something new?"

Oscar closed the menu, "No. I just think it'd be good to know. Just in case."

"Ah, I see." Adam laughed, "I wanted to spend some time with you. Guy time." He jumped right into it, they didn't have a lot of time and he really wanted to clear the air between them.

"Okay." Oscar closed the menu and slid it to the side.

The waitress had noticed and had come over to take their order, Adam handled both their orders and waited until she walked away before speaking to Oscar.

"Oscar, I'm really sorry. I know the weekend didn't go as you had hoped. I hate that I let you down." Adam watched as Oscar listened to him, "It sucked. I know. I get that you were angry. I hate that my job is unpredictable and that it pulls me away from you and your sisters."

Oscar bit his bottom lip to keep from crying.

Adam saw it and he was done for, he pushed back from the table and went and kneeled in front of Oscar, "I'm so sorry."

Oscar burst into tears and fell into Adam's arms, "I'm sorry daddy.." he sobbed, "I'm sorry."

It rattled Adam but he held on as tight as he could, he didn't expect Oscar to cry.

"Hey...hey..." Adam attempted to pull back only for Oscar to tighten his grip. He waited a few minutes before trying again, "Oscar, buddy. Talk to me. Why are you sorry?"

Oscar wiped his eyes, "I was mad at you, I was mean." His chest was still heaving and his words came out a bit garbled.

"You were disappointed. I get it. It's okay." Adam assured him. "It's okay, son. C'mon, don't cry man. You're gonna make me cry."

Oscar took a deep breath, "Sorry for crying,"

"Don't be sorry. It's okay to cry, pal." Adam told him, "Don't even be sorry for crying, okay?" He wasn't one of those dads who didn't think boys should cry. He wanted his son to know that he could feel whatever emotions he was feeling without judgment.

Oscar wasn't so sure, but he did appreciate his dad saying that, "Jimmy and Tyler saw me cry." He knew they told Bradford about it and he was mad at them. He never said anything when Tyler cried during the horror movie they watched last Halloween and Jimmy cried at baseball games all the time. Oscar never teased them or joked about it with anyone, and he was really angry that they had made a big deal about it and that they told Bradford. Oscar was certain they would tell all the kids at school.

"Big deal. I know Jimmy cries. A lot." Adam was quick to point out, "he cries when he strikes out, if he gets picked off when trying to steal a base. Remember that time he cried when his ice cream fell off of his cone. I didn't think he'd ever stop."

Oscar laughed at the memory, it had been a really fun day. They were at the end of season baseball party at the park and he had barely licked the ice cream when it toppled off the cone and landed in the dirt.

"That was so funny." Oscar replied, "he didn't think it was funny, at least not right away. I didn't pick on him though."

"That's because you've got a tender heart, my boy. You're just like your mom when it comes to things like that. You don't kick people when they're down. Jimmy was upset and you didn't pile on, the other kids laughed but you didn't. Jimmy and Tyler shouldn't have told Bradford."

"They made fun of me. They were all laughing at me the other night when we were playing video games. Even Bradford. He's a dickhead, dad."

Adam choked on his coffee, nearly spitting it out. "That he is O. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Oscar was perplexed, he cocked his head to side and furrowed his brow, "What does that even mean?"

Adam shrugged him off, "it's just something adults say, never mind. Do me one favor though don't say that to your mom. She'll have my head." He was sure Oscar had heard him say it and he really didn't care if Oscar said but Kim would definitely take issue with it.

"Can I say it when it's just you and me?"

"Sure."

"Can I say other bad words?" Oscar asked him.

"Like what?"

"Shit." Oscar was quick to reply, "and maybe asshole."

"You didn't waste any time huh?" Adam laughed, "you can say those two words when you're with me. You don't say them in front of your sisters or your mom, got it?"

Adam ushered Oscar back into his chair and sat back down opposite him, "We good, O?"

Oscar nodded his head, "Yeah. When's the food gonna get here?" The kid was a bottomless pit and he would eat them out of house and home.

Adam laughed, "any minute now I'm sure." He felt immense relief now that he had cleared the air with Oscar.

Just as Adam had predicted their food showed up shortly after Adam said it would, Oscar inhaled it and they were out the door about fifteen minutes later.

Breakfast with his dad had been great, Oscar couldn't say the rest of his day was great.

He found himself in the principal's office, with an ice pack across his knuckles. He did the one thing his parents told him to never do, he had thrown the first punch.

Thanks for reading! I'm hoping to wrap this up soon! I hate that it always takes me a long time to update this story but I'm trying my best to give you the best chapter possible. While this story is kind of angsty, I'm hoping the sequel of sorts will be much lighter.

Once this 'Oscar' story is finished, I will write a short story involving 'McKenna' and her shenanigans with Adam. I'm hopeful you'll enjoy stick around to read her story.


	11. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 6

"I understand. I'll be there shortly. Thank you." Kim ended the call, she was livid. She massaged her temples and tried to calm down. They were in the thick of a new case and this was the last thing she needed.

She popped her head in Voight's office, "The school called. I need to pick up Oscar. He's in trouble. Is Adam reachable?"

Voight shook his head, "He's off the grid." He told her, "what did the knucklehead do?"

Kim frowned, "I don't know. There's no telling. Will you tell Adam to call me when he checks in, please."

Hank got up from his desk and went to her, "I will. Whatever Oscar has done, remember he's just a little kid with a bit too much of his dad in him, he's a good boy Kim. Don't forget that."

"I know." Kim tried to smile though her anger, "Thanks for the reminder. He is a good boy." He really was but she feared he was going through something and she hoped it would be short lived.

"He's a good kid because he's being raised right, you and Adam are fantastic parents. Oscar will be okay." Hank leaned on the door frame, "this too shall pass."

Kim laughed nervously, "So will a kidney stone, but it hurts like hell as it passes."

Hank couldn't argue with her, instead he offered her a small smile and a nod of his head. He could get lost in memories of Justin if he allowed himself to do so. He missed his son dearly and would forever regret the way he raised them, he spent more time cleaning up Justin's messes then he did addressing the behaviors that caused the messes. He wish he had been half the parents Kim and Adam were, maybe if he had been Justin would still be alive.

Oscar was terrified. He was definitely going to be in big trouble.

The office was kinda quiet, and it made Oscar uneasy. He wasn't new to getting in trouble but he never ended up in the principal's office. He wasn't really a bad kid, but more the kinda kid who could get a little rowdy but would straighten up as soon as the teacher called him out.

He had tried really hard to ignore Bradford, he had been successful all morning. Arriving to school late probably had helped that some, but because he was late he wasn't able to pick the kids he wanted to work with for their group project.

The teacher put him in the only group that had three kids, one of those kids happened to be Bradford. Oscar's groan was a bit louder than he had wanted it to be and he knew Bradford had heard him, he watched as Bradford whispered something in Kyle's ear and they both laughed. Thankfully Victoria was in the group and she rolled her eyes at the boys and cleared a spot at the table for Oscar.

Kyle and Bradford were being jerks and made it difficult for Oscar to help assemble the robot and they kept shooting his ideas down, it was frustrating but Oscar didn't let it get to him. He even muttered assholes under his breath but loud enough for Victoria to hear and she laughed a little. He was definitely taking a risk saying it at school but they were really making him mad.

Once they moved on from group work things kind of settled down and Oscar thought the worst of it was over, they had independent work before lunch and recess and then they'd break into their reading groups for the remainder of the day and Oscar wasn't in the same reading group as Bradford.

All of fifth grade went to lunch together, and Oscar hoped that things weren't as bad as he thought and that Jimmy and Tyler hadn't told everyone about the weekend.

His hope was short lived, he heard people laughing at him as he went through the lunch line and as he walked through the maze of tables in the cafeteria.

He wasn't shocked to find Jimmy and Tyler sitting at a table with Bradford, Oscar almost walked right past the table and sat with some other boys that he knew from baseball but Tyler called him over to sit with them.

Oscar refused to hide from Bradford, so he sat down next to him.

"Why were you late?" Bradford asked Oscar.

"I was with my dad." Oscar explained as he unwrapped his hamburger, "he worked all weekend and wanted to take me out for breakfast."

"That's right. Jimmy and Tyler, you told me that didn't you guys? That's why you didn't get to go to the shooting range." Bradford never missed a chance to kick Oscar when he was down, "it worked out for you guys didn't it? Cause you got to come hang out with me. My dad rented out all of the arcade and we got to play all afternoon."

"It was awesome!" Jimmy added his two cents, "we didn't have to pay any money either. It was unlimited play. It was way better than the shooting range."

Oscar rolled his eyes and shoved a handful of fries in his mouth, he hated how Bradford bragged about shit. He knew the only reason Jimmy and Tyler hung out with him as much as they did was because they knew Bradford was rich. Really rich and Bradford made sure everyone knew it.

"My dad said he would take us, he said he'd make it happen." Oscar told them and he knew his dad would but it may take some time but his dad said he would take them.

"Yeah right.." Bradford laughed, "Your dad Is just saying that, I bet he never takes you." He shoved Oscar's shoulder, "did you really cry? What a baby."

Oscar glared at Jimmy and Tyler and they did all they could to not look him in the eye. "Shut up." He told Bradford, before grabbing his bottle of water.

Oscar wasn't quick enough and Bradford reached over and squeezed the bottle just as Oscar brought it to his lips, sending water rushing out all over Oscar's face and in his lap.

Oscar jumped out of his seat and sputtered a bit, choking on what water he had managed to drink before Bradford squeezed the bottle.

He coughed some before using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, "Why did you do that?" He asked, his shirt was soaked and he looked down and it looked as if he had peed his pants.

Bradford roared with laughter, "Are you gonna cry? Oscar the Grouch or are you Oscar the baby?"

Oscar was over it, he was so pissed and that he unconsciously curled his hands into fists at his side. He could hear the laughter rise to a crescendo, he could feel the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria suddenly on him.

He cocked his arm and hit Bradford with a solid right hook connecting with the side of his face, sending Bradford to the ground.

Oscar felt the pain as it flew up his arm. It felt amazingly good though but the euphoria was short lived as the laughter stopped and the crowd that had formed around them dispersed.

He felt someone pulling on his arm, it was one of the cafeteria monitors and she dragged him away from the table. Another one rushed to Bradford who lay on the floor clutching his face, withering around in pain.

"Is he crying?" Oscar asked the lady whose name he didn't know, "Is he crying?" He yelled out, craning his neck to try and look over the woman's shoulder.

"I don't know." She responded, "Does it really matter? What were you thinking young man?" She led him out of the cafeteria and down the hallway to the principal's office.

He looked down at his hand, it was already starting to swell and it was beginning to throb, he stopped in his tracks, "My hand hurts."

"I bet it does." She told him, she opened the door to the office and pointed to a chair, "Sit down. I will get you an ice pack but you need to tell the principal about what you just did. I'm sure your parents will have to be called as well."

"My parents?" Oscar muttered. He was done for, his parents were going to be furious with him. He felt the tears well up in his throat but he did all he could do to stifle them. He knew at any moment Bradford would join him in the office.

His school had a 'conflict resolution' program and he and Bradford would be forced to talk about what had happened and come up with a plan to fix it.

He wasn't going to let Bradford see him cry.

Kim checked in at the main entrance, she slapped the 'visitor' sticker on her shirt and headed down the main corridor, she spotted Oscar the second she opened the door to the office.

He was sitting in a chair with his shoulders slumped, his right hand in his lap his left hand held the ice pack in place.

"Oscar, what happened?" Kim asked him, she pulled the ice away to get a good look at his hand, "it's swollen, why?"

"I hit him." Oscar told her, "He was being a dickhead so I hit him." He didn't even care that he had used an adult word to describe Bradford or that his dad had told him to never say it in front of his mom. He was that angry.

"Who?"

"Bradford. It's always Bradford. I hate him." Oscar erupted.

Kim hung her head, if she was being honest with herself she wasn't all that shocked that they had finally come to blows. She knew the previous weekend was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Okay, where is he?" Kim scanned the office, "Is he alright?"

"I think they took him to the nurses office, he fell down when I hit him." Oscar explained, "I hit him hard, and I'm happy I did." He knew he was serious trouble so he didn't mince words he was going to tell her exactly how he felt. He was going to get his money's worth because he knew he was going to face serious consequences.

"Stop talking." Kim advised him. The last thing she needed was Oscar mouthing off and the principal hearing him.

She went to the desk and let the secretary know she was there and went to sit next to Oscar, she placed her hand on his back, "Is your hand okay?" She lifted up the ice pack to get a better look at his hand.

Oscar shrugged, "It hurts a little. Is dad coming?"

Kim caught movement out of the corner of her eye, she glanced over her shoulder and held her hand up, "He's working a case. I need to go talk to them" she motioned towards the principal's assistant, "Sit still and please be quiet." She knew it was just a matter of time before Bradford joined Oscar in the office.

She followed her down the short hallway, they passed an office with an opened door and Kim could see the assistant principal working at her desk. They stopped abruptly and Kim was surprised that the door was closed.

"Dr.Stevens." The assistant knocked once and called his name before opening the door, "Mrs.Burgess-Ruzek is here."

Kim was surprised to see Bradford and his father sitting at the desk, she could see Bradford's cheek was swollen, it was beginning to bruise.

"How's your cheek, sweetie?" Kim asked Bradford.

Bradford just glared at her, Theo spoke to him "Alright, son. Go outside. It's time for the adults to talk."

Dr. Stevens stoop up and walked Bradford to the door, "Have a seat and someone will come and get you and Oscar shortly."

"Kim." Theo offered his hand to her.

Kim shook his hand, "Theo. What happened?" She had no desire for small talk, she wanted to know what had go on between the boys and then she wanted to take Oscar home.

"Shouldn't we wait for Adam?" Theo asked.

"He won't be coming. He's working a case." Kim caught the subtle smirk but chose to ignore it. "Will Karen be joining us?" Kim asked him, Karen was much easier to deal with but she wasn't someone Kim would consider a friend. She didn't dislike the woman by any means she just wasn't her kind of person.

"I handle issues that might require disciplinary action, although it doesn't seem to be the case. At least not on my end." Theo replied.

Kim couldn't stand the smug look on his face and she was confident that Oscar was going to end up being the one at fault. While she knew Oscar wasn't an angel she also knew that he didn't hit Bradford just to hit him.

"I'm guessing you know what happened?" Kim asked him, she watched Theo turn to the principal and motioned for him to talk.

Dr. Stevens cleared his throat, "It seems there was an altercation in the cafeteria. A simple prank was played on Oscar and he punched Bradford in retaliation. It was just a joke among friends and Oscar was embarrassed and lashed out."

Kim's eyebrow arched, "Is that what your son said? Have you spoken with Oscar yet?"

"Not yet." Dr. Stevens told her, "I had to deal with the victim first. Surely you understand that." He knew where his bread was buttered and Theo buttered it well.

Kim huffed, "There are three sides to a story, Dr. Stevens. Bradford's side, which you have heard. Oscar's side, which you haven't heard yet, and the truth. Which I'm quite sure is somewhere in the middle. I know my son, he wouldn't just punch someone."

"Seriously?" Theo laughed, "I know who your husband is and what he does for a living. I'm sure your boy is well versed in punching without cause." He never wasted a chance to take a potshot at Adam.

Kim wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a reply, she ignored the comment and moved on, "I'd like to bring the boys in and hear it from them. I think Oscar deserves to tell his side of the story."

Dr. Stevens called for the boys, they waited in an awkward silence for them to show up and as soon as they did both Kim and Theo stood up so the boys could sit down.

Oscar sat with his head hung and his shoulders slumped, his body language was that of shame and he knew he was in trouble while Bradford looked almost giddy.

"Oscar, tell me why you pushed Bradford." Dr. Stevens spoke directly to him, "I've already heard from Bradford but I'd like to hear it from you."

Oscar briefly looked up at Dr.Stevens but it was a fleeting look and he remained silent. Kim gave him a few moments to respond and when he remained silent, she moved to stand beside him.

"Oscar, you need to answer Dr.Stevens." She placed her hand on his shoulder and waited. He refused to talk and she was growing angry with him.

"Of course he's keeping his mouth shut. The kid knows he was in the wrong but he's not going to admit it. I'm really not surprised." Theo folded his arms across his chest, "he's a hot headed bully. He needs to be punished, a suspension and removal from the challenge program would be a good start."

"Mom?" Oscar looked at her with fear in his eyes, "I love challenge!"

Kim ran her hand through his hair, "I know you do. You can't hit people, Oscar. You know that. Now, you're a good boy. You made a poor decision but this is unlike you. Why don't you tell me what happened."

"Not here." Oscar replied, "Can I tell you at home?" He didn't want Bradford to know how upset he was and that his feelings had been hurt by Jimmy and Tyler.

"Really?" Theo shoved his hands in his pockets, "He needs to be punished for punching my boy. He could've been seriously injured, there needs to be consequences."

Dr.Stevens could feel the tension in the room begin to rise, "Absolutely. Oscar, you will not be removed from the challenge program as of right now, but you will be suspended for two days. This is your first offense, should this happen again you'll be removed from the program and have a lengthier suspension. Do you understand?"

"I do." Oscar replied meekly.

"What a joke." Theo blew a gasket, "Your son is a bully! If he comes after my boy again we will have a serious issue." He was livid, "I'm warning you Oscar, don't you dare touch my boy again! Do you understand? I won't tolerate it!" He stabbed his index finger into Oscar's shoulder knocking him a bit off balance.

Kim pushed her way between Theo and Oscar, "Don't you dare touch my son!" She spoke through clenched teeth, her anger was off the charts. "You will not speak to my son."

"Perhaps your husband should put you in your place." Theo growled, "You give a woman a badge..."

"Fuck off Theo!" Kim grabbed Oscar's backpack and slung it over her shoulder, "Let's go son." She turned to Dr.Stevens, "I'm sorry, I will talk with Oscar about his behavior."

Oscar couldn't believe it, he had never heard his mom talk that way. She was so angry, he was pretty sure he could see steam coming out of her ears. He followed her to the car and climbed in and didn't dare say a word. He watched as she climbed in the drivers seat and rested her head on the steering wheel.

"Mom?" He called her name a bit tentatively, "Mom, are you okay? Your hands are shaking." He saw them tremble as she fumbled with the keys.

Kim took a couple of deep breaths before responding, "I'm fine baby. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Oscar told her, "I'm sorry."

"Is your hand okay?" Kim looked at it and it had swelled some, "does it hurt?"

"No..." he saw the look his mom was giving him and he knew he needed to tell her the truth, "Yeah, I can't move my pinky and if I try to make a fist it hurts real bad." his eyes began to glisten with tears,

Kim took a deep breath, she was on the verge of tears, "Let's go get an X-ray."

"Mom, am I in trouble?" Oscar asked.

"Not right now. We will have to talk about what happened. But not now, probably not today. My only concern right now is making sure your hand is okay, and that you're okay. There will be consequences for your behavior but I don't want you to worry about that right now. I need to get ahold of your dad."

"He's going to be mad." Oscar was sure of it.

"He will be mad but I don't think it will be with you." Kim told him, "is your shoulder okay?"

Oscar shrugged, "He didn't hurt me, mom."

"I know. He shouldn't have touched you though. That wasn't right. He's a grown man and you're a little boy." Her voice cracked a bit and a tear slid down her cheek.

Oscar saw it and it scared him, "Mom, you said a bad word. At school." He smirked, "it was cool."

Kim laughed, "I did, didn't I?"

"So cool!"

Kim turned to look at him, "You said a pretty bad word yourself."

"Sorry about that, I was mad." Oscar explained.

"I get it, O." Kim leaned over to kiss his head, "I was mad too."

Platt spotted Atwater before seeing Ruzek a few steps behind him and she took off from behind the desk, "Adam!" She met him outside at the front steps of the district, "Kim called, she's at med with Oscar. He hurt his hand at school. Voight knows that you need to leave, go on and go." She didn't give him a chance to respond before pushing back towards the parking lot.

"Uh..okay." Adam took the keys from Kevin, "Alright."

"Call me as soon as you know what's going on with my baby."

"I will."

Kim was pacing the hallway as she waited for Oscar to return from radiology, she had texted Adam and she had heard back from him that he was on his way.

Adam rounded the corner and nearly ran smack into her, "Hey..." he was shocked when she burst into tears and fell against his chest. "Darlin'..." he felt her fall apart in his arms and it broke his heart and terrified him all at once. He had heard nightmare stories of kids going to the emergency room for what was thought to be a minor injury only to learn they had cancer or some other horrific disease. He feared that was the case, "Kim, talk to me. Where is Oscar? Is he okay? What's going on?" He pulled back from her.

"He got into a fight. The doctor thinks he broke his hand." Kim finally managed to speak, she could see the horror written all over Adam's face, "I'm sorry. I'm a mess. I didn't mean to scare you."

Adam wiped her tears away, "It's fine, why are you so upset? Who'd he fight?"

"Bradford."

"Fuck." Adam mumbled, "We knew it was just a matter of time. What happened?"

"I don't know. According to Bradford's side of things it was just a prank and Oscar over reacted."

"Bullshit. What'd O say?"

Kim laced her fingers through Adam's, "He didn't say anything. He refused. He said he'd tell me at home. He's been suspended."

"How long?"

"Two days. Adam, Theo was there. He yelled at Oscar, he poked him in the shoulder and I lost it."

Adam jumped up, "Did he hurt Oscar? I'll kill the son of a bitch."

"Calm down." Kim grabbed his hands, "Oscar is fine. Theo and I got into it and I might of told him to fuck off." She could feel a bit of the tension leave Adam, "Oscar thought that was cool. He called Bradford a dickhead, it wasn't our best day."

Adam pulled her into a hug, "I beg to differ. I'm proud." He kissed her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too." Kim was feeling a bit better, she had never felt so enraged in her life, seeing Theo put his hands on Oscar had rattled her.

"Dad!" Oscar called out, he was still laying in a hospital bed.

"Hey buds." Adam released Kim and went to his son's bedside smiling at the orderly who was pushing the bed, "how's the hand?"

"Hurts." Oscar told him, "the xray machine is cool though."

They moved to the small room Oscar had been given and were left to wait for the doctor to return, and thankfully it wasn't much of a wait. They didn't have much time to talk before the doctor came in to let them know it wasn't broken after all much to Oscar's disappointment. It was going to be a gnarly bruise and would be sore for a week or two and if it didn't improve by then they would need to follow up with an orthopedist.

It wasn't until later that night that Adam, Kim and Oscar sat down and discussed what happened, and while they understood Oscar's anger and why he had hit Bradford they still handed out a punishment.

He was grounded for two weeks, he wasn't allowed video games or internet access. He couldn't leave the house except for school and family activities. He wasn't happy about it but knew he needed to keep his mouth shut and take his punishment and be done with it. If he argued over it, they'd extend it.

Once the kids had gone to bed Kim and Adam relaxed on the couch, "You know, I can't blame O for finally decking the little shit." Adam announced, "I'd love to lay his father out."

Kim leaned into Adam's side, "Theo is a pig. He made a comment about giving a woman a badge.."

"What a prick." Adam shook his head in disgust, "What the fuck does Karen see in him?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "Nothing. Theo put her in her place. She's obeying him."

Adam laughed, "What the fuck?"

"Theo has put her in her place. He said you should put me in my place." Kim turned to look Adam in the eye, she could see a glint of mischief in his eyes, "Whatever you're thinking I'd advise you not to say it..."

Adam laughed heartily, "Duly noted. There's only one thing I'd like to put into your place" he leaned in for a kiss, "over and over again."

"You're a fucking idiot." Kim laughed against his lips. "Before you get all hot and bothered...I want to discuss something."

"Okay." Adam mumbled as he kissed his way across her neck, "just make it fast.."

"I think we need to plan a few family activities for the next two weeks. The arcade, go karts.." Kim was beginning to get all hot and bothered, "some really fun things."

"You got it."


	12. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 7

Being suspended sucked.

Oscar thought he would like staying home from school for two days but it turned out that part of his punishment was an actual punishment. He had to stay at Trudy's house while his parents worked.

Staying with Trudy was usually fun, she never made him follow any rules. It was always a free for all, he could do no wrong at her house. He always had so much fun when he would spend the night, not this time.

That first morning when his mom dropped him off, Mouch couldn't get away fast enough. He looked at him kind of strange and said 'tread lightly', he had no idea what that meant but it was super weird.

Mouch wasn't a fireman anymore, he was too old and slow but he still spent a lot of time at the firehouse and sometimes he'd get to go with him.

Oscar liked hanging out at the fire house, he got to explore the fire truck and even tried out a bunch of the tools.

He soon learned that as much as Trudy loved him, she didn't put up with misbehavior at school.

The school had provided Kim with all of the work Oscar would need to complete during his two day suspension and she hand given it to Trudy, and she had made it her mission to make sure Oscar completed it.

Trudy had called it tough love and kept telling Oscar that she loved him, but he had to be better than this. Getting into fights wouldn't solve a damn thing, and that he was better than that little shit he had hit.

Oscar giggled at that, he had never in all of his life heard Trudy curse it was kinda like when his mom dropped the F bomb at school, except his mom did curse sometimes. She didn't drop F bombs though, but Trudy never cursed, at least not in front of him and his sisters.

His hand ached when his dad finally picked him up, and he was glad to leave. The second day was definitely better than the first, once he finished the work things got better. He did have to listen to a super long lecture about getting into fights and how he should never ever throw the first punch. She did make it clear that he was totally allowed to throw the second punch and he was to put the little shit on his ass.

Just before he left on that second day, Trudy sat him down to talk and he was told he 'needed to listen and listen good.'

Oscar sat on the couch, Trudy sat on the coffee table that sat opposite him. He was nervous, he didn't think she was going to yell at him or anything. Trudy never yelled at him or the girls, even if they were messing around and broke something. She was kind of like a grandma, she always had the good snacks and tons of candy and they didn't have any rules. It was pretty cool because he didn't have an actual grandma. He never met his mom's mom, he didn't even know where she lived or if she was alive. It was super weird but he never asked about her, and his dad's mom died way before he was born. He didn't dare call Trudy grandma, she definitely wouldn't like that. That would mean she was old and she hated when people said she was old.

"Oscar, I love you so much. When your mom told me she was pregnant, I was so excited. I hoped to be a part of your life, and I was. I am. I am so unbelievably proud of you. I don't want you to ever forget that. Okay?"

"I know," Oscar smiled, "I love you too!"

Trudy would never get tired of hearing him say it. "You can't start fights buddy. Even if the kid deserves to get popped in the mouth. You're too smart for that. I know that kid deserved it, but you're better than that. I don't want the school to think you're just a punk kid, who thinks because his parents are cops that you can do whatever you want. It's not fair but it's the way of the world. You have so much potential Oscar, you're a smart boy. You need to do well in school O."

"I am, Trudy. I get A's all the time ask mom and dad, they'll tell you." Oscar pleaded his case, "I always do my homework too!"

"Honey, I know that." She touched his cheek, "I'm not upset with you sweetie. I just want better for you. When you're a grown up I want you to be able to do whatever it is that you want."

"A cop." Oscar told her, "I want to be a cop. Like my mom and dad. And you!" He had been enamored with being a cop as a two year old, "I wanna work in a unit like dad's!"

Trudy couldn't help but cringe the idea of Oscar being old enough to wear a badge, it was almost to much to bare, "Well, I think you'd make a wonderful cop. When you're older you may not want to be a cop anymore and maybe you'll want to do something different. That's okay, but that's why you need to be a fantastic student. I want you to have it all sweet boy. You deserve to have it all." Trudy felt herself getting choked up "Okay? Can you do that for me? Can you work hard and stay out of trouble?"

Oscar's head bobbed a bit, "That might be hard, cause sometimes I get super hyper and make bad decisions, but I'll try. I'll try sooo hard."

"Kiddo, bad decisions happen. I don't expect you to be perfect but I want you to always own your mistakes and learn from them. If you do that everything will fall into place." She held her hand out to him. "Now, come hug me."

Oscar did as she asked, "I love you, Trudy."

"Oh, honey I love you too. More than you know." She kissed his head, "How about we pick a movie to watch and relax before your dad gets here."

Keep an eye out for the final chapter of Oscar's story sometime in the next few weeks, at the completion of this story I will follow up with McKenna's big adventure with her daddy.


	13. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 8

This was their least favorite place in the world but the kids absolutely loved it, it had been a rough couple of days and they wanted the kids to let off some steam and perhaps tire them out in the process.

Kim just hoped the night wouldn't end with an ER visit.

"Please be careful." Kim placed her hands on his shoulders as he sat on the edge of the bed, "I know this is hard for you to understand but you're not as young as you think you are."

"Well, that was mean." Adam rolled his eyes at her, he stood up and let the towel he had wrapped around his waist fall to the floor. He enjoyed that he could still make her blush, "Ah, you like what you see?"

Kim shrugged, "Not bad for a dad bod now hurry up and get dressed, I'm hungry." She turned on her heels and closed the door behind her.

She wasn't surprised to find the kids anxiously waiting near the front door, it had been a few weeks since they had gotten to go out as a family. What surprised Kim was Oscar's lack of enthusiasm, he had been that way since he had gotten home from school.

He had been given a two day suspension and was due to have gone back Friday but Kim had decided to keep him home and give him a longer weekend to unwind and work through his feelings.

Mondays were always rough for the kids but Oscar seemed to be a down in the dumps and she really hoped a visit to the trampoline play center would do him some good. With the school year winding down she wasn't a stickler for routine or bed times. She really didn't feel like cooking and by some miracle Adam had gotten home from work insanely early so it was a no brainer, they'd head to the play center and then they'd grab dinner. If she played it right she'd have the kids showered and in bed by nine at the very latest.

She had hoped that when she told the kids where they were going Oscar would've been excited but he just plopped down on the couch and played on his tablet completely ignoring his sisters as they jumped up and down and squealed in excitement. She'd give anything to know what was going on in Oscar's head at the moment, she hoped once they got there he'd loosen up a bit.

They had a pretty good night but Oscar wasn't his usual self, while he did have fun jumping with Adam, he was really quiet at dinner and didn't eat much at all. He was the first in bed and was sound asleep when Kim had checked on him.

Adam was still dealing with the girls and she watched as he read them each a bedtime story, they were loving having him home to do the night time routine. Kim was dropped like a bad habit on the odd nights Adam was home.

It gave Kim a bit of a break and the kids enjoyed it, Adam hated working long hours but he did it so Kim didn't have to. They wanted the kids to have at least a little bit of normalcy, needless to say he jumped at the chance to put the kids to bed and Kim relished the opportunity to take some quiet time for herself.

"Goodnight my princesses." Adam kissed McKenna's cheek and pulled the covers around her, "Sleep well." He did the same for Paisley who slept in the bed on the other side of the room.

"I love you the most daddy." McKenna replied, she sounded exhausted and it was just a matter of seconds before she'd drift off to sleep.

"I heard that." Kim teased from the doorway, "I love you baby girl." She blew her kiss, she leaned against Adam as he closed the door on his way out, "I always knew you were her favorite."

"Can you blame her?" He shrugged.

"Adam, you're a mess." She peaked in on Oscar once more, "He's out cold."

Adam sighed, "He was weird tonight." He whispered as Kim pulled the door closed, "Not a single fart joke and when we played dodgeball there wasn't a single nut shot."

Kim went about her nighttime routine as they talked, "You seem a bit disappointed, if you'd like I can throw a ball at your nuts." She teased, "if it'll make you feel better."

"Ah, you're funny." Adam stripped down to his boxers before joining her in the bathroom, he grabbed the toothpaste, "You can definitely play with my nuts though."

"Gross." Kim jokingly shuddered at the thought, "I swear if you leave toothpaste in the sink you'll be on the receiving end of a nut shot."

"Feisty." Adam laughed, "I like it."

He made sure the sink was clean before joining her in bed, he could tell she was deep in thought. "I was right, wasn't I? You're worried about O as well, aren't you? Do you think something is up?"

Kim curled into Adam's side, "I am worried about him. He is going through something, I know he's dealing with the Bradford issue but I feel like it's deeper than that. Did he say anything to you?" It wasn't likely but she had to ask, "Anything at all?"

"Not really. We talked a little about baseball but nothing major. Never mentioned school or that little dick." Adam ran his hand across her back, "I'm not going get lucky am I?"

"Nope."

"Kim..." Adam had tossed and turned a bit and couldn't stand it any longer, "you still awake?"

She rolled over to face him, "I am."

"I'm worried too." Adam couldn't kick it, it wasn't sitting right with him and he couldn't ignore it and he definitely wasn't going to be able to fall asleep, he needed to talk about it.

"About Oscar?" Kim reached over and turned the light on, "Did something happen? Something that you didn't tell me about?"

"When we were playing dodgeball a bunch of boys from school came in, no one that Oscar runs with but some kids he knows. Some from baseball. I asked him if he wanted to play." Adam told her, "I didn't think much of it at the time but it's been bugging me."

"Hey O, here come some boys from school" Adam pointed out the group as they filed through the turnstiles and made their way towards the dodgeball courts. "We should see if we can join them, maybe take on that group of teenagers that beat us earlier."

"No." Oscar told, "I'm done. I wanna go home."

"C'mon, don't wuss out, it'll be fun." Adam was never one to back down, he made his way towards the group, "I know one of the dads, I'll set it up."

"No!" Oscar shouted, he grabbed Adam's wrist as he started to walk towards them, "I don't want to dad. I just wanna leave. I'm not playing anymore."

Adam held his hands up, "Fine. Alright, let's go get mom and the girls and we can leave."

"It was weird." Adam ran his hand through his hair, "but what got me was when we were leaving the group of boys were laughing and pointing at Oscar."

"Did you ask Oscar?" Kim questioned him.

"No. I didn't want to push him. Should've I asked him?"

"I don't know." Kim sighed, "I'll ask him in the morning, you're not very tactful."

Mornings in the Ruzek house were controlled chaos, and this morning was no different, aside from Adam being called out to work some time around three in the morning. That in itself wasn't all that surprising but Kim had planned for Adam to do the school run as she had to be in court by nine and the school run would make that a bit difficult.

She knocked on his door, "Oscar, honey. It's time to get up." His door was always the first one she knocked on and more often than not had to circle back, this was knock number two. She refused to knock a third time.

Oscar was up when she knocked the second time, he just wasn't getting ready, he didn't want to go to school. He had pretended to be asleep last night when they checked on him. He couldn't fall asleep he had been up super late and felt as if he had only just fallen asleep.

She had little time for Oscar's dilly dallying and hated that she had yelled at him multiple times to get up and out of bed, to get dressed, to eat his breakfast, to brush his teeth. He was dragging his feet throughout the entire process.

The ride to school was usually a quiet ride and today was no different, McKenna had her nose buried in a book and she had already dropped Paisley off at day care, so she took her shot.

"Oscar, tell me about last night with the boys from school. Dad said you didn't want to play with them, that you were pretty upset when he wanted to ask them to play."

Oscar's head rolled back against the head rest, "I wasn't upset."

"Why didn't you want to play?"

"I was tired." Oscar fiddled with the seat controls and reclined his seat back to a ridiculously uncomfortable look angle.

"Oscar, what's going on?" She took note of the position of his seat, "Please fix the seat back, that can't be safe."

"Nothing." Oscar told her as he begrudgingly raised the seat back.

"I don't think I believe you honey. You know you can tell us anything. I know you're getting older and that maybe some things you don't want to talk to me about but you can tell your dad anything. We love you and we're worried."

Kim turned into the school and joined the carpool line, "I mean it Oscar, whatever it is. Just talk to us. Is it Bradford? I will call his parents if I need to."

Oscar was livid, "It's not about Bradford!" He glared at her, "I said I was fine! That means I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. I wish you and dad would stop asking me. It's super annoying. It's not about Bradford" He grabbed his backpack and threw the door open, "Just drop it, okay?" He slammed the door and stomped off in a huff.

"Well that was dramatic." McKenna made her presence known, "bye mom."

"Bye baby, I love you!" Kim called out to her daughter who was far too interested in her friends to hear her.

Kim dropped her head against the steering wheel in frustration and sighed, she wished she could get inside Oscar's head and figure out what was going on with him.

Her precious baby boy who never let things bother him seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

She felt helpless and could only hope Oscar's day would get better.

Ah, surprise! I've actually completed a chapter. Again I'm sorry, hopefully the next (and final) chapter won't take me nearly as long. Thanks for sticking with me!


	14. Oscar's Got A Gun Part 9 Final Part

Oscar was over it, he was tired of being made fun of. He was tired of everyone calling him a loser. It really got bad when he was the only one not invited to the stupid fifth grade party at the aquarium, stupid Bradford and his family rented it out for the night.

Bradford told him that he wasn't allowed to go because he had punched him, it took all the restraint Oscar had to not punch him again.

_"Oops, sorry." Bradford quickly jerked the invite back, "you're not allowed to go because you hit me. It's gonna be a ton of fun too. My dad rented out the whole place and we get to drink all the soda we want and all the snacks are free too!" _

_Oscar stood rooted in place, he was doing all he could to not punch Bradford in the mouth and trying his damnedest to not cry. "I don't care." Was all he could manage to mumble before finally walking away._

In the days that followed things got worse for him, he had everyone in school talking about him, everyone was calling him a loser and if they didn't say it to his face he could see them whispering about him.

He couldn't take it anymore, so he said the worst thing ever. He said the one thing he knew he shouldn't say, he didn't care thought he had to make it stop.

_I've got a gun, do you wanna see it?_

Oscar knew better. He knew his gun wasn't a toy and there wasn't anyway he could show it off. His dad wouldn't let him even see it if he wasn't home and he never got to show it to friends.

It made things exponentially worse for Oscar, because on top of being called a loser he was now being called a liar.

It was relentless and Oscar couldn't stand it anymore, so he had made the decision to do it and face the consequences from his parents. He knew he was going to be in the worst trouble of his life but it was better than all the kids at school picking on him.

Shockingly it all worked out for him, his dad was stuck on a case and was leaving the house before anyone else woke up and didn't come home until everyone was in bed.

Oscar knew he had to play this right, if he was too excited to go to school his mom would question it, and he knew he couldn't get caught in their bedroom so he needed to be quick.

The gun safe was located in the closet in their bedroom, their dad's closet. It was hidden behind all of his jackets, there was a lot of them and most of them were ugly. His dad wore weird stuff and he always thought he looked _hot_, that always made Oscar feel like he was gonna puke.

The safe was stupid cause Oscar knew the code, his dad was kinda dumb that way he made the code his badge number, all of the passwords were his badge number. Oscar had it memorized because it was also the code to open the garage door.

He was careful, he tossed in a couple of groans when his mom woke him up, he rolled his eyes at her when she told him to hurry up. He got dressed and purposely forgot his backpack in the house when they finally got in the car.

"Crap! My backpack, I forgot it. Sorry mom" he jumped out of the car in a flash and was inside before Kim had a chance to respond.

His hands trembled as he punched in the code, he took a deep breath before opening the door. He had to move around a few guns to get to his, he made sure to remove the magazine that his dad kept in it. He grabbed the hand towel from his bathroom and wrapped the gun in it before burying it in the bottom of his bag.

He had already decided that he'd show it off at recess, there was a corner of the playground the staff never went. It was near the back just beyond the baseball diamond, there was a small set of bleachers and sometimes that's where the girls sat to talk because they didn't play like the boys, that was super weird to him but girls were super weird.

Oscar knew he just needed to tell one kid and before long plenty of them would know all about it and he'd have plenty of kids show up. He told the kid that sat next to him in his reading class, he whispered it to him and made sure to tell him to 'pass it on', now all he had to do was wait.

He inhaled his lunch and went and sat on the bleachers.

It didn't take long at all, before he knew it there was about ten boys sitting with him.

"C'mon, Oscar. Open the bag."

Oscar held his hand up, "Hold on Connor." He looked over Connor's shoulder to the cafeteria doors, "There's Jimmy and Tyler lets wait until they get here." He had hoped Bradford would be there but he wasn't going to wait for him. He really wanted Jimmy and Tyler to see the gun, he wanted them to know he wasn't a liar.

"I think Bradford was right, you're lying." Connor replied. He had known Oscar for a long time but they weren't friends. They had always been on different sports teams and different classes, and they ran in different crowds.

"Wait. Just wait. Okay? Five minutes that's it." Oscar held the bag up, "it'll be worth it. I promise."

"Fine." Connor huffed, he folded his arms across his chest and he turned around to watch the other boys run across the field.

The group of boys continued to grow as more kids finished their lunch and headed outside, once Jimmy and Tyler arrived, Oscar opened the backpack and pulled small handgun out.

He pulled the towel off and held it up.

Oscar grinned, "Told you." He puffed his chest out a bit and stood a little taller, "it's a 9mm a sig p365. It's badass." He rotated his wrist to show off all angles of the weapon, "My dad bought it for me for my birthday, he takes me shooting all the time."

Connor held his hand out. "Can I hold it?"

Oscar shrugged, "Yeah, sure."

Connor took it from him, "Don't put your finger near the trigger. You only do that when you're prepared to shoot it." Oscar explained.

The group of boys stood in awe of the weapon, Oscar was feeling pretty good about himself. Jimmy and Tyler were acting like they were his friends again, no one was picking on him and it felt like how it used to be before Bradford started teasing him and everyone else joined in.

"Can I hold it?"

A kid Oscar didn't know asked, there was no way that would happen. Oscar shook his head, "No. Sorry."

"This is dumb, I'm gonna go play then."

Oscar just shrugged and watched the kid run towards a group of kids playing kickball, he knew he needed to put the gun away soon. The teachers never walked out to the area they were in but it was just a matter of time before they came to see what was going on. Quite a few kids had shown up and the teachers were going to get suspicious if they didn't break it up soon.

Jimmy spotted it first, "Oscar, I think you should put it way." He pointed across the field, "look it's Officer Dowling and he's with the principal" the school resource officer was headed their way.

Oscar felt his knees wobble and the color drain from his face. He quickly shoved the gun back in his backpack and tossed it over his shoulder, "Spread out but act cool." He shouted out orders, he was telling them to act cool but he was scared out of his mind. There was no way he would be able to act cool, he was seconds from crying.

He did his best to act casual as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked towards the building with his head down, he could hear his heart pound with each step he took.

"Oscar!" The principal called his name but Oscar kept his focus on his feet and pretended he didn't hear him.

Officer Dowling broke into a jog, "Oscar, you need to stop right now, son." Tim Dowling had been a beat cop for years and had gotten hurt on the job and no longer fit the requirements to walk the beat and transitioned to the school resource team. He didn't think he would enjoy it but he was dead wrong, he loved it.

"What?" Oscar spun on his heels, "I didn't do anything."

"Can we talk?" He slowly approached Oscar, "How's it going?"

Oscar clutched the bag close to his chest, it had started to fall when he tried walk fast, "It's fine."

"How's your dad?" Tim asked him, "You probably don't know this but I went to the academy with him, not that he was there long."

"I know. He got pulled to work a case in the intelligence unit with my Uncle Al. He ended up staying, he told me about it a bunch of times. Everyone knows." Oscar wasn't impressed, he tried to move past the officer, "I gotta go to the bathroom."

Tim blocked his path, "Can I see your backpack."

"Why?" Oscar was seconds away from freaking out. He was gonna cry and everyone was going to see it, he could feel the crowd around him growing. "it's my backpack, not yours. You don't need it."

"I think I do. You know why son."

_Tim had heard some chatter earlier that a boy had brought a weapon to school, he was working on finding out who it was when a fifth grade girl had come to his office._

_"Officer Dowling, can I talk to you?" Natasha Bates was a quiet girl, he knew her name and that she was a fifth grader but beyond that he knew nothing about her. He considered that a good thing._

_"Of course, come on in." He welcomed her into his office, "What's up?"_

_"I know who has the gun. It's Oscar Burgess-Ruzek. He has it. I heard him telling one the of boys this morning. He's gonna show it off at recess. I don't think he wants to hurt anyone. Will he get in trouble?" She barely took a breath between her words._

_"Thank you for telling me. That was very brave of you." Tim patted her hand, "I can't make you any promises, bringing a gun to school is serious and there will be consequences for Oscar. You did the right thing by coming to me."_

_Natasha wasn't so sure, "I don't want Oscar to get in trouble he's nice to me. A lot of kids aren't nice to me, but he is." She played with the hem of her dress, "the other boys are being mean to him."_

_"We will figure it out, sweetie. You did the the right thing by telling me. You should be proud. I need to talk to Oscar. My secretary will give you a hall pass, head back to class and let me worry about Oscar."_

Oscar shook his head, "I don't know." He put his head down and tried to move past him, "I gotta pee."

Tim placed his hand on Oscar's shoulder, "Stop Oscar. I know you brought a weapon to school. It's in the backpack isn't it?" He reached for the bag and Oscar resisted, "Give it to me, you're a good kid Oscar. Don't do this. Don't do something you'll regret."

Oscar's shoulders slumped and he let go of the bag, "I'm sorry..." he lost it, "...I'm sorry."

Kim had expected to be in court all morning, she was still waiting to be called to testify.Which meant she was left with nothing but her thoughts. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something with Oscar and it was killing her. She had never been so worried about him, she knew he was on the cusp of being a teenager and all the craziness that came with being a teenager, but it felt bigger than that and it scared her.

She was clueless and helpless and it sucked.

Adam was at his desk when he got the call.

He sat motionless for a few moments, completely shocked by what he had just been told. He then told the team them he needed to take some personal time to deal with a situation and that he would get in touch with them ASAP and that he wouldn't be coming back to work but would send in his case notes by the end of the day.

Oscar sat alone in the principal's office, he had only stopped crying just a few minutes ago but his breathing was still pretty ragged and his chest heaved every so often. He hadn't cried that hard in a long time, he had a pile of used tissues in his lap.

Officer Dowling had confiscated the gun and Oscar had no idea where he had put or if he'd ever get it back. It really didn't matter because once his parents found out what he did they'd take the gun away for sure.

No one was talking to him which made everything feel scarier, the ladies who worked in the office would look at him every so often but as soon as he looked at them, they looked away.

They hated him.

Tim agreed to meet Adam outside.

The school district had a clear and concise policy for such an event and Tim had circumvented it and he knew he'd face repercussions for it, but he felt calling Adam was what was best for all involved.

The last thing he wanted to do was call in a sergeant to deal with Oscar, the kid would be picked up, placed in cuffs and tossed into the back of a squad car and booked into juvie.

Adam was on fire, he wanted to tear Oscar a new one. He never advocated for spanking a kid but this was definitely pushing him to the brink. The drive over had allowed for a bit of a cooler head to prevail.

"Ruzek, man I'm sorry." Tim shook his hand the second Adam stepped out of car.

"Where's my boy?" Adam asked.

"The office, he's a mess." Tim started for the door, a bit surprised that Adam wasn't following him, "you can come inside."

Adam scowled, "I'd rather not. I want you to put bracelets on him and sit him in the back of your squad car. I want you to take him in. Don't go easy on him. He needs to take this on the chin. He wants to be a big man, well now he's gotta pay the price."

"Ruzek, you can't be serious? He's just a kid. You know as well as I do that he wasn't going to use that gun to hurt anyone. He was showing it off."

"I don't give a fuck. He needs to know he fucked up." Adam spit on the concrete, "I'm furious, Tim. Fucking furious."

"Are you sure?" Tim was apprehensive, "I'll do it, if that's really what you want." He watched as Adam stood with his hands on his hips and looked skyward. It was obvious Adam was conflicted, and wasn't sure what to do.

"Do it." Adam folded his arms across his chest and moved his gaze to the ground. He needed Oscar to know that he had made a serious mistake and he'd face serious consequences. "Don't let him know that I know, I'll meet you at your district."

Adam was about to hand out a serious dose of tough love, he needed Oscar to understand how badly he had fucked up.

The door creaked open and Oscar was to scared to turnaround, fearing it was his dad. "Oscar, it's time to go." Oscar spun his head around to see Officer Dowling.

"Go? Where's my dad?" The level of fear in Oscar's gut skyrocketed, "Did you call him?"

Tim hated what he was about to do, but did it anyway. He unclipped his handcuffs from his belt, "Stand up son."

"No. I don't want to." Oscar cried, "I want my dad, call my dad. Please call him!" He was having a full blown meltdown, "Please just call my dad."

Tim took a deep breath, "Oscar, you need to stand up. Please, stand up." He heard his voice crack, and his heart was breaking for the kid. He kept his composure and nudged Oscar a bit.

Oscar stood up and looked on in terror as the officer placed the first handcuff on his left wrist and then his right, he gasped when the cuffs were tightened, "I'm sorry!" It was all Oscar would say, he had to have said it at least a dozen times.

"I know you are buddy, I know you are." Tim wrapped a comforting arm around Oscar's shoulders and guided him to the door, "we are going to get this all sorted out, it's going to be okay. "

Oscar felt everyone's eyes on him as he was led out of the office, down the main hallway and out the front doors.

Adam looked on from afar, hidden from Oscar's line of vision. His heart was shattered, his eyes burned with tears but he brushed them away and got back in his car. He would follow the squad car to the district and only then would he see Oscar.

Oscar wanted to throw up, he didn't want to go to jail. He wanted his parents, he didn't understand why no one called them.

Tim looked back at Oscar and he felt for the kid. "Oscar this is all going to work out. Can I ask why you brought the gun to school? You had to know that it wasn't a smart move."

Oscar shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."

Kim was finally finished in court, she pulled her phone from her purse and turned it on. She had a handful of notifications, a few she ignored and a couple that put her heart in her throat. She listened to the voicemail as she drove, the message requested that she called them back as soon as possible but she elected to go straight to the school. She didn't have the time for this today, and she really hoped Oscar wasn't having issues with Bradford again.

She was beyond ready for summer break.

The office was still abuzz over what Oscar had done, it was a surprise to all of them. They all knew Oscar to be a good kid and not who they would've thought would bring a gun to school. They had more than a handful of kids who they feared would actually show up with a gun but for it to be Oscar?

That was mind blowing and they were still discussing it when Kim walked in.

Kim could hear them discussing something as she opened the door, but they had all gone quiet, "Hi" she said awkwardly, "I've been in court all morning, I just got out. I would've called but I figured I'd get here quicker if I just showed up. Is Oscar back in his class? What happened? Please tell me that whatever it is that he didn't start it." She had no issues with Oscar defending himself but she wouldn't stand for him starting it.

The secretary with seniority stood up and came out from behind her desk, "Mrs.Burgess, Oscar's not here." She explained, she nervously wrung her hands together, "I'm afraid our resource officer brought him to the precinct."

Kim's jaw hit the floor, "Excuse me?"

"We called you. Multiple times." She offered, "Officer Dowling called your husband. From what I understand your husband had Officer Dowling follow protocol." She turned back to her desk and grabbed a business card, "Officer Dowling works out of the 23rd district. That's where he took Oscar."

Kim took the card from her, "My husband?"

"Yes." She told her, "Officer Dowling knows your husband and he called him. They discussed it for a bit and your husband wanted to follow protocol. To be honest I was shocked."

"Back up a bit." Kim was thoroughly confused, "What did Oscar do?"

"Oh..." she stammered a bit, "There's no easy way to say this, Oscar brought a weapon on campus. A gun."

Kim placed her hand on the desk in front of her to steady herself, "What? No. No he didn't. Oscar would never, he's smarter than that. I'm a cop, his dad's a cop. This has got to be a misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry."

"How long ago?" Kim asked, "how long ago did they leave?"

The group of ladies looked at each other before the secretary responded, "About ten maybe fifteen minutes." The other women nodded their heads in agreement.

Kim threw her hands up and left, she needed to get to Oscar.

Adam finally stepped out of his car and approached the squad car, Oscar sat in the back seat his head down but Adam could tell he was crying, his slender frame was shaking. It killed him to see his boy so distraught, but he needed him to know the severity of what he had done.

He approached Dowling who stood just beneath the over hang of the building, he extended his hand to shake Dowling's, "Has he been crying the whole time?" He was sick to his stomach over the situation and it was something he didn't think he'd ever have to deal with.

Oscar was a smart kid, this was so out of character for him.

"He'd held together for the most part until we got in the car, he lost it once we pulled out of the school parking lot." Dowling looked over Adam's shoulder, "how long do you want him left in the car?"

"I don't know." Adam shoved his hands in his pockets, "I don't know much right now. I'm at a loss."

"What do we next? You want me to book him?"

Adam sucked his teeth and hesitated before responding, "I want him to think he's going to be booked. I know it's a big ask but can we let it end here? No charges filed?"

"Absolutely." Dowling wasn't about to wreck the kid's life over one bad decision, "Though I can't promise that the school administrators won't come down on him, and they'll come down hard. Zero tolerance."

"I'm okay with that."

Kim pulled in behind Adam's car, she turned the car off but left the keys in the ignition she didn't bother closing the door behind her. She took off for Adam, she spotted him standing in the breezeway, deep in conversation with who she knew to be the school resource officer.

"Adam, where is he? Where's Oscar?" Kim called out to her husband who was about ten yards away. She picked up her speed a bit, and was now running across the parking lot, despite the heels she was wearing.

Adam held his hands up to her, "Slow down." He met her halfway, "We need to talk."

"Where the hell is our son?" Kim while worried about Oscar was composed, "What is going on? None of this make sense."

"What do you know?" Adam asked her, "Who called you?"

"The school." Kim replied, "I would've appreciated a call from you." She watched as Tim Dowling went to his patrol car, "Is Oscar still in the back seat? What the hell?"

"Kim, we need to talk before we deal with Oscar. We need to be on the same page. This is serious."

"No shit, Adam." Kim felt her blood pressure steadily climb. She watched as Tim opened the back door and help Oscar from the car, her heart in her throat. She soon noticed that her son was in handcuffs and she instantly saw red. Adam had his hand on her upper arm and she jerked away from his touch, "He's in cuffs?"

"He brought a gun to school! So, yeah he's in cuffs." Adam explained, his voice low and very tense, "A fucking gun, Kim. Our son. We are cops and our son, our boy brought a gun to school. Do you know how bad that looks?"

Kim was fuming, "Is that what you're worried about? How it looks?" She couldn't believe it, "I don't give a shit how it looks, I don't care about how this looks to anyone, I only care about our son, Adam."

Kim's response annoyed Adam, did she think he didn't care? He watched as Kim headed for the back entrance to the district, he stood in the breezeway for a few moments trying to collect his thoughts.

Oscar was brought to an office that was rarely used, Tim sat him at the desk and took the handcuffs off. "You okay?"

Oscar rubbed his wrists, "Am I going to jail?" His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, and they glistened with tears.

"No, Oscar. You're not going to jail." Tim told him, "You're in serious trouble though. Do you want a soda or something?" Adam may have wanted the kid to think he was going to be processed into jail, but Tim couldn't do it.

"I'm not thirsty. Does my dad know? My mom had court today, did they call her?" He knew they'd both be angry with him but he really wanted them. He wanted to hug his mom, and he wanted to hear it from his dad that he was safe. "I can't go to jail, they'd know my parents are cops. They won't like me."

Tim placed his hand against Oscar's cheek, "I promise you, you're not going to jail. Your dad should he here soon. I don't know about your mom but I'm sure your dad has called her. Try and relax, okay? I'm going to go wait for your dad. You'll be okay in here." He didn't want Oscar to know his father was already there and had decided to make the kid sweat it out.

Kim waited for Adam to join her before going inside, she instinctively took his hand as soon as she felt his presence behind her. As angry as she was right now, she needed him by her side.

Adam gave her hand a squeeze, "There's Tim." He pointed down a hallway, "Tim, how's my boy?"

"He's struggling." Tim smiled nervously at Kim, "I've got him in an office right now. He's a scared little boy."

"Did he give you anything?" Kim asked, "Why he brought the gun? It doesn't make sense. He's a good boy, a smart boy. He knows better." She ran her hands over her face, "Can I see him?"

Tim nodded, "Absolutely. He's in the second office on the left. He's been asking for you. I'll give you some privacy. We will need to talk to him some more, but it can wait. He needs you guys."

Adam ushered Kim down the hall, "I'll catch up. I need a minute." He was terrified, did he miss a red flag? Oscar was smartest than this, they taught all the kids gun safety but especially Oscar. Paisley was still too little and McKenna didn't care about guns at all but Oscar did and they talked ad nauseam about gun safety. He took Oscar to the shooting range dozens of times to take away the mystique of guns. He knew better and if Oscar was able to ignore everything they taught him about guns, what else would he ignore? It had opened a can of worms that Adam wasn't capable of dealing, it was all a bit too much.

Kim opened the door slowly and peaked around the corner, Oscar sat with his head down on the desk, "Oscar, honey..."

Oscar's head shot up and he burst into tears before running into Kim's arms almost knocking her down, "I'm...sorry...mommy...I'm...sorry" he sobbed as he buried his face in her neck.

Kim held on to him as tightly as she could, his slender frame convulsed with each gut wrenching sob, she managed to shush him softly as they both cried.

By the time Adam joined them Oscar had calmed down some, and sat on the desk as Kim stroked his cheek, "Oscar, what the fuck were you thinking?" Adam asked him, "a fucking gun?"

Kim cut her eyes at him, "Adam..."

"No, Kim. Don't _Adam_ me." He turned to face her, "This is fucking serious, our son took a gun to school. It wasn't a fistfight or some stupid prank. A fucking gun!"

"I know Adam! You don't need to keep saying it!" She roared as she got in his face, "I know it's serious, I also know Oscar. He wasn't going to shoot anyone! He made a mistake! Yes, it was Aaa very serious mistake I know that but it was still a mistake. Yelling at him won't fix it! Nor will it help!"

"Neither will coddling him!" Adam pounded his fist in the desk causing Oscar to flinch, "You can't hold his hand through this and tell him that everything will be okay. He fucked up!"

Tim cringed as their voices filled the hallway, he knew he needed to intervene, he knocked once before opening the door, "Excuse me..." he waited a second before saying anything else, "I think we should take a minute. Take a breather, give everyone a chance to calm down some."

Oscar sat in between his parents, he had his head down and was crying once again, Adam took one last look at him before walking out, "I'll be right back."

Kim sighed as he left, "Tim, I'm sorry. We're both upset." She wiped her eyes.

Tim pulled a few dollars from his wallet and handed them to Oscar, "Go hit up the vending machine and then go sit in my office. The desk sergeant will tell you where it is, I'd like to talk to your mom and dad."

Oscar looked at Kim, "Go on baby." She held her arms out for him, "I love you. It's going to be okay."

"I love you too." Oscar muttered as he walked away.

Tim closed the door and looked back at Kim, "I can't imagine how awful this must be for you, Adam, and Oscar. I want you to know there won't be any charges filed against Oscar. I've already discussed it with my supervisor, Adam requested that we didn't book him and we've all agreed it's the right call. As for the school, that's a different story."

Kim nodded her head, "I understand. We're handcuffs necessary?"

"I did as Adam asked."

"What?" Kim was flabbergasted, "Adam wanted Oscar cuffed?"

Tim had put his foot in his mouth, "Ah, sorry."

Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing, "My husband wanted our son placed in handcuffs? I'm assuming he also asked that he be put in the back of a squad car as well."

Tim knew it was a rhetorical question, so he ignored it, "Adam made it clear that he didn't want him booked and was only handing out a dose of tough love. It's an impossible situation and Adam thought he was doing the right thing."

"I need to talk to my husband." Kim found Adam just outside the district, he was crouched down with his face buried in his hands. She could see he was crying and it had softened her, "Adam.." she lightly touched his shoulder, "Adam...we need to talk."

Adam stood up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, "I'm sorry. I fucked it up, I know. I'm scared. I don't want to lose my boy, I don't want him to go down the wrong path."

"He won't. Oscar made a mistake. He screwed up but we will handle it. We can't fly off the handle, Adam. We need to figure out why he brought the gun to school. Screaming and yelling won't get us anywhere."

"I told Dowling to put Oscar in bracelets." Adam had regretted it the second he saw Oscar in handcuffs, "I never should've done that, I wanted to scare him."

"It's not what I would've done, and I won't lie to you, I'm angry with you for doing so. We will deal with that later, right now Oscar is all that matters. We need to know what prompted this and what his intentions were. Then we need to deal with whatever that was. We need Oscar to know that he's going to face consequences with both the school and at home and he will no longer own a gun and he'll be an old man before he sees the inside of a shooting range again."

"I'm sorry, Kim." Adam pulled her into his arms, "I'm so sorry. I fucked this one up."

"Not the first time, and it won't be the last. We've both fucked up before, and we will both fuck up again. We are in uncharted waters, once we get our sea legs we will be fine. I've got faith in us, in all of us, including Oscar." Kim pulled back from him, "Let's go talk to our son."

They met up with Tim just outside his office, "Are we good to go?" Adam asked him, "Can we take Oscar home?"

"Yes, of course. Everything is good." Tim told them, "Oscar is free to go."

Adam extended his hand to Tim, "Thank you. I appreciate it and I assure you it won't happen again, Oscar is a good kid who made a mistake. He will face serious consequences."

"Oscar is a great kid. I've been at the school for a few years now, I've seen what type of kid he is. I trust that you guys will handle it."

Adam was first in the office, he wanted to apologize to Oscar. "Oscar, first off I'm sorry. I was wrong to yell the way I did. I'm angry with the decision you made. I didn't handle things correctly and for that I'm sorry." He hugged his boy, "We are going to go home and sort all of this out. We need to know why you brought the gun to school and what you planned on doing with it and then we will discuss your punishments."

"I'm sorry, daddy." Oscar bit his bottom lip, "I'm really really sorry."

Kim took Oscar's hand in hers, "We know."

"We love you bud. Let's get you home. We will talk it all out at home. I want you to apologize to Officer Dowling."

Oscar went to Tim and did as he was told, "I'm sorry." He shook the officer's hand and did his best to not cry, "I won't ever do it again."

Oscar walked out of the district holding both his parents hands.

Later that night after the girls had gone to bed they discussed the events that led Oscar to bring a gun to school.

Oscar was hesitant at first to tell them but it didn't take long for Oscar to let it all out. They had learned that Bradford had gone all in on bullying Oscar and were saddened to learn about the extent of it. They were heartbroken to hear that Oscar best friends had joined Bradford and that soon most of the fifth grade boys were involved.

As hard as it was to learn about the boys bullying Oscar, it didn't compare to the rage the felt when they learned that Bradford's father had joined in, that he had rented out the aquarium and then purposely exclude Oscar. It was a shitty thing for an adult to do to a child and it left both Kim and Adam reeling.

They would deal with Theo and the school at some point but they were focused on Oscar at the moment.

Oscar took a deep breath before explaining his reasoning for bringing the gun, "I was mad. I wanted to show everyone that I was cool. That I had something Bradford didn't have. He's got all the coolest toys, video games, he's got an atv. He has everything. When I told them I had my own gun no one believed me. They said I was lying. They kept teasing me, and I wanted to shut them up."

Adam and Kim listened intently. "Oscar..." Kim interrupted him, "We've talked about this, you need to ignore bullies."

"It's hard!" Oscar yelled, "Everyone was saying it! I hated it. I tried, mom. I swear I did. It was so hard and I was so mad. So I decided to bring it. I snuck into the safe that morning and I hid it in my backpack. I took that magazine out and left that in the safe. I just wanted to show them."

Adam felt for his son, he knew what it was like to be picked on. Adam struggled big time in grade school, he wasn't the smartest kid and while he eventually discovered to be dyslexic. Before his diagnosis he was ridiculed constantly and he was quick to respond with his hands.

"I know it's hard pal, elementary school was hard for me. I wasn't a good student and kids picked on me, I got into fights all the time."

"I just wanted to show them my gun. I wouldn't hurt anyone with it." Oscar told them. "I wasn't going to shoot it, that's why I took the bullets out. It wasn't loaded dad."

"Oscar, it had a bullet." Adam told him. "You didn't unload it."

"Yes it was!" Oscar retorted, "I took the magazine out. I swear I did." He was adamant that he had correctly unloaded the gun.

Kim handed Adam the gun, "Watch." Adam told him as he pulled back on the top of it and emptied the round that had been in the chamber into Kim's open hand. "this gun always puts one in the chamber, even when you remove the magazine. It was loaded son, it had one round."

The color drained from Oscar's face as he dropped back into the couch, "I didn't know.."

"We know you didn't. Oscar you were lucky. The gun could've gone off at any point, I'm know you were handling it at school and you let some of the other kids handle it. " Adam took a deep breath, "someone could've been killed, son."

Kim pulled Oscar into her lap and held him as Adam continued, "You could've been killed, your sisters..." just saying the words sent a chill down his spine, "Mom and I need you to know just how serious this is."

"I'm sorry." Oscar cried, "I didn't know."

Kim wiped his tears away, "We know baby, we know you would never intentionally hurt anyone. You're a good boy, the best boy. You just made a mistake. We will figure out a punishment and I'm sure the school will punish you as well. You will take it. Whatever it is you will accept it and do as your told."

"Okay." Oscar nodded his head.

"Oscar, the gun is no longer yours and you won't be going to the shooting range anytime soon, if at all. That's just the tip of the iceberg, mom and I will discuss the rest and we will let you know once we know." Adam put his hand on Oscar's shoulder, "We love you son, more than you know. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing you can do will ever change that. We love you no matter what."

"I love you too daddy." Oscar hugged him.

"Go on upstairs, watch some tv and try to calm down some." Kim kissed his cheek, "I love you baby."

Kim and Adam went to bed shortly afterwards, neither one could fall asleep.

Kim turned on her side to face Adam, "My heart hurts Adam. Our little boy is hurting." She had spent much of the day crying and she was trying to fight off a headache brought on by the copious amount of tears.

Adam sighed heavily, "Mine too, darlin'. It kills me. He's a great kid, he's kind, smart as a whip and has a heart of gold. I know kids can be cruel and that bullying is sadly part of growing up it infuriates me that a grown ass man would feel the need to bully a fifth grader. It's taking all I have to not beat the piss out of Theo."

Kim ran her hand down Adam's chest, "I don't want to talk about him. Not now. I can't deal with him right now,"

"You're right. I want to focus on Oscar and our girls." Adam kissed her, "and you. I want to focus on us. On our family."

Kim moved to lay across him.

"I want to lay here with you, I want to fall asleep in your arms." Kim whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Adam told her. "Our family will be okay, Oscar will be okay. We will love him through this."

**_Well, I'm sure some of you never thought this would happen but this story is finally complete. I didn't end this the way I had originally planned but life got crazy and things happened (2020 can end now, thanks) and this story fell to the wayside and I lost all motivation and desire to write it. I had to finish it and I hope it's halfway decent and not a complete disappointment. I do have plans for a Adam and McKenna centered story, one that is a very short story (1-3 chapters) and light hearted without angst. It won't be posted until it's complete._**

**_I apologize for the ridiculously long delay and will completely understand if you're not happy with the ending._**

**_Thanks for sticking with me!_**


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